Esther
Esther is the protagonist of the play. She is a young African American woman who has come to New York in search of her dreams; she dreams of an independent life and she dreams of opening up her own beauty parlor for black women. She intends to use her skills as a seamstress to save enough money to achieve this. She is such a gifted seamstress that her skills are in high and constant demand. She sews intimate apparel for a diverse group of clients, from the upper class Upper East Side women who lunch to prostitutes.
Esther enjoys her life but she cannot help yearning for love, especially when she sees the other women in the boarding house where she lives leaving to get married. Because she is starting to feel that she is getting left on the shelf she finds herself vulnerable to the attentions of George, a man she knows only through letters. She is charmed by George's romantic, flowery writing and the things that he tells her. Although she is not in love with him, she believes that one day she might be. He is a good man, and so she accepts the sudden marriage proposal when it comes.
Unfortunately Esther has been duped by a skilled con man; George steals the life savings that she keeps stuffed into her quilt and he spends it all. She is left with nothing again - but she still has her talent. Esther is at her core an optimist and she is also resilient; she vows to use her skills to make more money and to achieve her goal.
George
George is at first a wonderful man; he woos Esther so gently that she cannot help but be struck by him. He writes romantic, flowery letters that make her develop a real affection for him, and he appears to be falling for her too. Although they have never met, George convinces Esther that they should marry, and waste no more time alone.
George turns into a completely different person when he gets to New York - or perhaps he reverts back to type. He is a swindler; he steals Esther's money from its hiding place in the quilt and he spends it all on prostitutes, gambling, and liquor. George is the catalyst for all of the changes in Esther's life, and most of these changes are not good ones.
Mayme
One of Esther's customers, a black sex worker. She is close friends with Esther (despite Esther's disapproval of Mayme's career), and they tell each other about their hopes and dreams. Originally, Mayme came to New York with the hope of making a living off of playing ragtime piano, but she now realizes that that isn't pragmatic. However, she doesn't care much for her current line of work, especially when clients are too rough/handsy with her. When George comes to town, her belief in romance is restored, as he is kind and gentle towards her, something unheard of for her. However, when Esther tells Mayme that George is her husband, Mayme is once again disillusioned, and when Esther lets him go, Mayme does the same.
Mrs. Van Buren
A wealthy and white client of Esther's who is in her 30s. Although she is very wealthy, Mrs. Van Buren is lonely and insecure. She and her husband have been unable to conceive a child, and she constantly flips between wearing sexy undergarments to fire up his attraction and being overjoyed when he is gone for a long period of time. Mrs. Van Buren sees Esther's lifestyle as exotic and everything she (Mrs. Van Buren) could want, especially when Esther starts writing letters to George. Esther is illiterate, so when Esther asks Mrs. Van Buren to write, she finds them the perfect distraction from her life. Mrs. Van Buren is also sexually attracted to Esther, kissing Esther once and saying they could "just be friends". However, Esther realizes that they cannot be true friends, as Mrs. Van Buren is just using Esther to fill the empty gaps in her life.
