Marie and Simone
These two friends do everything together. They used to be married to husbands, and the two couples were friendly, but then both of their husbands died, and they had to survive as refugees from WWII. They were forced to Manhattan where they worked hard to make a life together, providing each other the friendship and community they wouldn't really have had otherwise. Together, they go on adventures.
Sid Morris
This painting instructor teaches Marie and Simone's painting class, and he is on both of their minds from that point on. Sid is apparently pretty handsome, and he is a competent painter and teacher to boot. They each like him in a friendly, yet competitive way that suggests perhaps they might want husbands again soon.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth may seem like a random minor character, but actually, we see something primal in her point of view. She says everyone has secret skills that she lacks, or unseen training or competency. She doesn't understand that what she feels she lacks is simply her animal instinct, suppressed by the constant difficulties that often keep her anxious and neurotic. The compounding pressure of paranoia on top of societal roles—they eventually bring her to her wit's end.
