Ralph, Lai Fu Chang
Ralph was born Lai Fu Chang, but changed his name when he moved to America to finish his degree following the Second Sino-Japanese War. When the Communists take over China, he realizes that he cannot return to his home, and after a season of unimaginable loneliness, he finds his sister randomly in New York City, and she takes him back to meet Helen, his will-be wife. Ralph wants to honor his family, but over time, he gets lured into the American Dream.
Theresa
Theresa's religious name is no surprise, she helps her brother in a moment of dire need—almost a deus ex machina, it would seem, because it's astonishing to find your own sibling in a giant city like New York. When Theresa learns the effect that American business culture has begun having in her brother, Ralph, she mourns the loss of the beautiful family they built together with Helen, and she leaves.
Helen
Helen is Theresa's friend who was given to Ralph during a season of incredible loneliness, as a gift from fate. They even ended up married with children. But, when that married life gets too cramped by big dreams of fancy new futures with exorbitant incomes, Helen begins to represent herself against Ralph, by arguing with him about his point of view. Eventually, he pushes her out of a window for this.
Grover
A self-made millionaire who teaches Ralph the tricks of the trade, so to speak, when it comes to starting businesses and getting out of tax burdens. The legal trickiness of their get-rich-quick schemes don't bother Grover, because he was also from a hard life, and he views his success as the reward for those years of suffering, so he feels entitled to do what he wants with his business.
