Carolina Maria de Jesus
She is the protagonist who narrates in the form of diary entries from her private diary. As a single mother of three, Carolina struggles to provide for her children. Living in a ghetto, she picks through trash and sells metal scraps and such in order to get enough money to eat. She's politically active, even visiting Congress at one point. Whether due to her experiences on the street or some other unseen influence, she seems to be a little naive and inclined to indulge in paranoia. For instance she believes a politician has raised transportation costs because he secretly hates poor people. As unrealistic as that sounds, Carolina firmly believes it. She devotes every opportunity to writing, often approaching publishers with her work.
Vera
Baby Vera is only two years old when Carolina starts writing in her diary. She's the only one of the children who receives child support from her father. While he pays Carolina occasionally, he doesn't care enough to remove Vera from her dangerous surroundings or to provide for Carolina herself in any way.
Jose Carlos
He's five at the start of the book. An exceptionally resourceful five-year-old, he demands the least attention of his mom of all the siblings. He dusts himself off well, but he and Joao both spend time with other, older street kids who tempt them to engage in violent, illegal behaviors which approach gang activity except that they lack the organization of actual gangs.
Joao
Joao is the oldest at eight-years-old. He's a bit of a longer which causes him to be unpopular among the other kids in the favela. Eventually he starts hanging out with some of the older, rougher kids in order to boost his reputation. They're a bad influence on him, however, and he starts to be accused of random crimes by the neighbors. One woman even accuses him of raping her, after which Carolina determines to move her family away from these people.
Dr. Adhemar
He is a politician whom Carolina has the chance to observe in action when she visits the Congress. He introduces legislature which increases the cost of transportation, thus placing a heavier burden upon the lower class which relies heavily upon public transportation. He quickly becomes unpopular in the public eye. For her part, Carolian is convinced that he is disgusted by the poor and is trying to make life as difficult for them as possible.
Manuel
Manuel is a pretty clean-cut guy who starts courting Carolina. He's a respectable suitor who's doing very well for himself considering the poverty among which he and Carolina find themselves. He holds down his job and doesn't drink, but his proposal doesn't entice Carolina in the least.
Raimundo
He's kind of a rogue. A gypsy, Riamundo shows Carolina a side of life which she hasn't enjoyed in some time: adventure. He offers her a life of wonder, and the two hit it off for a little while. Eventually, though, Carolina becomes disillusioned with his unpredictability and decides to leave.
Audalio Dantas
He's a journalist who has his eye out for new talent. After Carolina approaches him, he loves her work and immediately gets her published. He makes her dreams come true, even though being published turns out to be more than she bargained for.
