Renee Michel
Renee Michel is one of the main characters of the novel. She describes herself as follows: “I am fifty-four years old. For twenty-seven years I have been the concierge at number 7, rue de Grenelle, a fine hôtel particulier [fr. “mansion; ig and chic house”] with a courtyard and private gardens, divided into eight luxury apartments, all of which are inhabited, all of which are immense. I am a widow, I am short, ugly, and plump, I have bunions on my feet and, if I am to credit certain early mornings of self-inflicted disgust, the breath of a mammoth” She was not beautiful: quite fat, with ill-favored gestures, and wearing unappealing clothes, yet really smart in very clear ways. She had her own library, her special honorable tastes in literature, music, arts. Though Renee hid her knowledge "‘cause she thought that it didn’t fit to a common concierge to be wise”, the inhabitants of the house, where she worked, didn’t actually notice her, except for two people: Kakuro and Paloma, who had seen her true essence.
Paloma Josse
Paloma Josse is the second protagonist of the story, a 12-year-old girl who lives in the rich family. She seems to be a common girl for others, quite calm and retired, but actually she is highly intelligent and has a very deep and sensitive soul. Like Renee, she hides her knowledge, pretending to fit to her status of “12-year-old-girl-from-rich-family”. She has only two true friends in her live: Renee and Kakuro. Her parents don’t pay much attention to her and maybe because of this she, seeking for their love and care, decides to commit suicide. But at the end of the story, after Renee’s death, she changes her mind.
Papa Josse
Papa Josse is Paloma’s father. He used to be a minister, but now he is a parliamentarian, so his family is very rich. Papa is to be the head of the family (Paloma thinks so), but he is actually not. He is always adapting to his wife (when she decides to lock his mother up in a nursing home, he doesn’t oppugn her). He doesn’t treat his daughter as she deserves: she is a wonderchild, extremely intelligent, but he always oppresses her bright mind, reminding her that she is just a 12-year-old girl. When she tries to correct his guest concerning some question, he rebukes her and commands her to never interfere in adult conversations.
Maman Josse
Maman Josse is Paloma’s mother. Paloma tells about her that she “isn’t exactly a genius but she is educated. She has a PhD in literature. She writes her dinner invitations without mistakes and spends her time bombarding us with literary references (“Colombe, stop trying to act like Madame Guermantes,” or “Pumpkin, you are a regular Sanseverina”).” This woman has some problems with her nerves, so she has been taking some pills for more than 10 years, but Paloma thinks that they just do more harm than good: mom talks with the plants and isn’t always sedate. She doesn’t work anywhere, just sits at home, and sometimes hosts parties.
Colombe Josse
Colombe Josse is the sister of Paloma. She is a young woman, a somewhat stereotypical daughter of wealthy parents: she likes gossip, showing-off, speaking slang, wasting money, and talking about fashion. Colombe is a student at the Sorbonne University, where she studies philosophy, but Paloma thinks that she has not any real vocation for this subject.
Kakuro
Kakuro is a mid-aged man, a new inhabitant in the house where the story takes place. He stands out among others: though he is very rich, perhaps richer than all of the other inhabitants, he doesn’t show off with his wealth. He is calm, sincere, kind, and very amiable. He doesn’t pay attention to Renee’s status of concierge, or to the age of Paloma. He looks at their hearts, he is careful with them, and he makes them happy. He has a little niece, who visits him time to time. His wife was very beautiful, but she died long time ago.
