Karl Brußmann
A lonely teenager newly immigrated from Germany to New York, Karl is challenged to find work in a new land in a complicated moral landscape.
His persistent compassion makes for a lot of compromising situations and opens him up to a number of people who take advantage of him.
Senator Jacob
Literarily, Jacob serves as a foil to the selfless and aimless teen. This man is Brußmann's uncle and wants the teen to put distance between himself and those he is constantly seeking to help. He is a successful man with lots of good connections, but nevertheless, Brußmann leaves his company.
Robinson and Delamarche
This duo is the Rosencranz and Gildenstern of the novella, compromising much of the plots complexity through their derisive and destructive behavior. Robinson is responsible for Brußmann's being fired from the Hotel Occidental, and for bringing him back to Delamarche, into a compromising situation in which the teen is literally trapped and held against his will.
Brunelda
Brunelda is a wealthy, obese singer and the ex-wife of a cocoa manufacturer. Delamarche lives in her suburban flat with Robinson as their servant. She spends the majority of her time in red gown, lying on a filthy couch.
Grete Mitzelbach
Grete Mitzelbach, the Hotel Occidental's fifty year old manager is a notable figure in the novel. She is an immigrant from Vienna who takes on Karl as a protégé but finds herself unable to stand by him against the Head waiter's charge of negligence.
