Rose Hudd
The protagonist of the play, Rose Hudd is a sixty-year-old woman who rents a bedsit flat (referred to as a room) in a rooming house with her husband. Rose is restless and anxious, obsessing about the dangers of going outside in the cold while appreciating the warmth and security of her room. Over the course of the play, Rose's peace is disturbed by visits from her landlord and a young couple who have come to see a room for rent. Rose's security is threatened when she hears that someone told the Sands that her bedsit was available. However, the issue is soon displaced by an unexpected visit from Riley, a blind man who delivers the message that her father wants her to come home. In contrast to her usual politeness, Rose is rude and defiant toward Riley. However, she gradually softens to his appeals, and she touches his face in an affectionate, intimate way. However, this unexpectedly gentle side of Rose disappears as soon as her husband returns.
Bert Hudd
Bert Hudd is a fifty-year-old man who drives a van for work. In contrast to Rose's volubility, Bert is taciturn, spending the entire opening scene without speaking or reacting to his wife as she dotes on him, focusing instead on eating his food and reading a magazine. Rose and Mr. Kidd speak of Bert as an exceptionally skilled driver. After going out to drive his van on a "run," Bert returns home and seems to be a completely different person. He excitedly describes his time on the road with sexually suggestive language, as if his van were a woman. Without explanation, he suddenly lashes out at Riley, shouting "Lice!" and kicking Riley in the head until he is unresponsive.
Mr. Kidd
Mr. Kidd is an old man who owns the building in which the Hudds rent a bedsit flat. Despite having lived most of his life in the building, he admits to being unable to remember how many floors it has, mistakes a chair belonging to the Hudds as one belonging to him, potentially invents a deceased sister he has fond and specific memories of, and doesn't kick Riley out when he discovers him lying in the basement. Mr. Kidd's failing memory suggests he may suffer from dementia or a mental illness.
Clarissa Sands
Clarissa Sands is a young woman who visits the rooming house with her husband. Younger than Rose and Bert, the Sands are an offbeat pair who deftly switch between bickering with and supporting each other. Offsetting her husband's curtness, Clarissa engages in polite conversation with Rose while they are in her home. At times, the rapid three-way conversation composed of staccato dialogue between Rose and the Sands has the feel of a stage comedy routine.
Toddy Sands
Toddy Sands is the young husband of Clarissa. Happening across Rose while searching the rooming house for the landlord, Mr. Sands is less polite to Rose when she invites them into her room. Rather than sit, Toddy remains standing, as though uncomfortable being in Rose's home. Toddy shows a tendency to refute his wife's claims, openly bickering with and dismissing her. Toddy curtly leaves the bedsit after revealing to Rose that a man in the basement (Riley) told him her room was available for rent.
Riley
Riley is an enigmatic blind Black man who visits Rose to deliver a message. He is presented as an emissary from the underworld, akin to the Grim Reaper; however, Riley is simultaneously vulnerable, needing a stick to guide his way through space, putting up no defense when Bert attacks him, and having a racial background that means he is subjected to prejudice. After waiting in the rooming house basement until Bert has left Rose's room, Riley enters Rose's home calmly. Despite Rose's rudeness, Riley has a serene demeanor and is polite. He claims to have a message from Rose’s father that he wants her to come home, yet later says it is he, Riley, who wants her to come home. Riley also inexplicably refers to Rose as Sal. While his familiarity unnerves Rose, eventually she reaches out to touch Riley’s face, as though Rose is blind herself. Having found Riley and Rose in this pose, Bert attacks Riley, kicking his head against the stove until Riley lies inert, possibly dead.
Mr. Kidd's Sister
Midway through the play, Mr. Kidd reflects on his deceased sister. In admiring terms, he tells Rose that she was younger than him and used to be a great help in keeping the rooming house in order. Mr. Kidd says she was a large woman who had a beautiful boudoir, and that she took after their mother. However, when Mr. Kidd exits, Rose says that she doesn't believe he ever had a sister, suggesting that Kidd likely invented the person.
Rose's Father
Another character who doesn't appear on stage, Rose's father is alluded to by Riley when he brings Rose the message that it is time to "come home." Curiously, Riley switches to saying "I" where he had been referring to Rose's father; this suggests that Riley may either be Rose's father or is standing in for him. In one interpretation, it is possible that the father Riley refers to is God, and home is heaven.
