The Old Man
In the story "The Old Man with No Name," the unnamed Old Man rents an attic room in Mrs. Casper's apartment. The narrator is also living in the nearby attic room of Mrs. MacMillan. One day, the weather is dull, and the narrator decides to sit next to his window to observe what the neighbors are doing in the streets. The narrator is also a new tenant in the neighborhood and wants to know his neighbors. However, the narrator notices that the Old Man has a weird character and holds a gun, which he practices how to shoot downwards. The narrator is confused why an elderly man should be playing with a gun as if it is a toy.
In the coming days, the behavior of the Old Man becomes unpredictable, and rumors around town suggest that he is a very dangerous man. Mrs. Casper, MacMillan, and Nolan also start suspecting the older man's behavior because no one knows what he does for a living. The one thing people are assured of is that the man is very dangerous. When Nolan comes across the Old Man, she shoots him and kills him instantly.
Mrs. Casper
Mrs. Casper is the property owner where the Old Man has rented an attic room. Mrs. Casper initially does not know the behavior of her tenant, but she later learns that he is a threat because he has a gun and his routines are unpredictable. Therefore, Mrs. Casper joins hands with her neighbors to keep the Old Man in check because they do not know what he will do next.
Mrs. MacMillan
Mrs. MacMillan is the landlady with whom the narrator has rented a room. Mrs. MacMillan is a humble woman who is not bothered by the people around her.
Mrs. Nolan
Mrs. Nolan is one of the strong characters in the first story in the collection because she is the one who shoots and kills the Old Man. When Mrs. Nolan hears that the Old Man is a threat, she does not take chances and vows to deal with him. When Mrs. Nolan first meets with the Old Man, she does not take chances because she kills him instantly.
Joshua Karabish
Joshua is the protagonist in the story "Joshua Karabish," and he loves reading poetry. When the narrator first meets Joshua, they become good friends. However, the narrator discovers that Joshua's roommate is an evil person who does not like friends. In the later days, Joshua becomes fond of the narrator, inviting him to stay with him. The narrator realizes that Joshua has a unique disease because he releases mucus from his eyes. However, Joshua assures the narrator that the disease is not contagious.
When Joshua goes home to visit his family, he leaves the narrator to take care of his poetry works. Later, the narrator learns that Joshua died at his parent's house. After several days, the narrator starts to experience similar symptoms to those of Joshua and becomes very annoyed at him for infecting him with the killer disease. The narrator decides to take revenge by submitting Joshua's poetry in a context in his name.
Martin Meek
Martin Meek is the protagonist in the story "The Family M." Martin and his brother Mark are notorious because they always play around the narrator's car. The narrator believes these boys are the ones who vandalize his car, and he vows to punish them. Unfortunately, the narrator learns that Meek's family is involved in an accident, and he decides to forgive the boys for vandalizing his car.
Hester
Hester is the narrator’s lover in the story “Orez." When the narrator proposes to marry Hester, she turns down his proposal. The narrator feels betrayed and decides to visit Hester's father to express his frustration. However, the narrator is shocked to learn that Hester is the only survivor because all her siblings died of different disabilities. Therefore, Hester is scared of marriage and giving birth because she does not face the same calamity that affects her mother.
Catherine
Catherine is the central character in the story "Yorrick." The narrator is in love with Catherine, but she is not interested in him. When the narrator tries to propose to Catherine, she refuses because she is in love with Yorrick, the narrator's roommate. The narrator is angry because he feels betrayed by his roommate.
Yorrick
Yorrick is secretly having an affair with Catherine without the narrator's knowledge. Yorrick knows that the narrator is in love with Catherine, but he decides to play him dirty, and this prematurely ends their friendship when the narrator learns the truth.
Mrs. Elberhart
Mrs. Elberhart is the protagonist of the story "Mrs. Elberhart," and the narrator describes him as an untidy woman. The narrator is angry and leaves a note for Mrs. Elberhart asking her to observe hygiene in her house and clean her compound. When Mrs. Elberhart gets sick, the narrator visits her, and they become close friends.
