Katurian Katurian
A writer of gruesome fairy tales, many of which depict the murder of children. When we first encounter him, he is being charged with killing three children using methods from his stories, but he does not know anything about the murders. He is close to his brain-damaged older brother, Michal, but devastated to hear that Michal committed the murders because he was influenced by his stories.
Katurian serves as a narrator of the short stories in the play, mostly writing unhappy endings. He later confesses to six killings (the three kids, his parents, and his brother) on the condition his stories are saved. He is a tragic but witty figure with a sharp intellect and a grisly imagination.
Detective Ariel
Ariel claims to be "the bad cop" at the beginning, but transforms into the more "sympathetic" cop at the end. He is exceedingly hot-headed and violent, claiming that he wants to protect children at all costs. We learn that his desire to protect children arises from his own childhood sexual abuse.
Detective Tupolski
An investigator, less violent and aggressive, but very unfeeling. Tupolski is "the good cop" at the beginning, but by the end, he proves himself to be callous and unemotional. He does not attribute his animosity towards child-murderers to his alcoholic father, but Ariel seems to think Tupolski's past has something to do with his attitude towards suspects.
Michal
Michal is Katurian's mentally disabled brother. He is responsible for killing the children, but maintains an innocence by virtue of his brain damage. He looks up to Katurian and thinks he's an excellent writer, and Michal killed the kids because Katurian's stories "told him to." He is a tragic figure, the victim of their parents' physical torture and abuse at a young age, but he remains loyal to Katurian, who has looked after him.
Father & Mother
Katurian's father and mother. They torture Michal as part of an artistic experiment to see how it influences Katurian's work.
The Little Jesus
A girl who was killed in the style of one of Katurian's more violent tales. In the end, it turns out that Michal did not actually kill her in this way, but painted her green as in "The Little Green Pig."
