Arturo Ui
Arturo Ui is the head of a Chicago gang that extorts, robs, and kills in order to gain power. He desires to have power over the entire city and is willing to use any means necessary to do so. He even kills his best friend, Ernesto Roma, in order to seize control over more territory. Ui is a metaphor for Adolf Hitler and the rise of his Nazi party in 1930s Germany.
Ernesto Roma
Roma is Ui's right hand man, and best friend. He's willing to die for Ui in order to ensure his power grows. But Ui kills Roma in order to have more territory and power. Roman then haunts Ui in his dreams after being betrayed.
Cauliflower Trust
The Cauliflower Trust consists of five men: Flake, Caruther, Butcher, Mulberry, and Clark. They desire to have their cauliflower be purchased by the local grocers. It currently is rotting away as no one is buying it. They hatch a scheme to misappropriate local funds to ensure their product is sold and they make money. However, by doing so they provide Ui (a metaphor for Hitler) the opportunity to gain power over them as he controls the people who can rat them out.
Old Dogsborough
Dogsborough is an old man who has an impeccable reputation in the community. The Cauliflower Trust proves able to convince him to vouch for a city loan to Sheet's shipping company for dock repairs (which they will use as they've strong-armed Sheet out of his company). Dogsborough secretly accepts shares of Sheet's company and a house from the Trust, and because of this he too is able to be manipulated by Ui for fear of going to prison.
The Actor
The Actor is hired by Ui in order to teach him how to walk, speak, stand, and sit in a way that will command attention and power. Hitler hired an actor who taught him as well.
Ignatius Dullfeet
Dullfeet is the newspaper editor in Cicero. He has been printing the truth about Ui, and stops when asked to do so by the gangster believing they've come to a mutual respect and agreement. But, Ui kills him soon after.
Bowl
Bowl is Sheet's treasurer at the shipping company. He discovers that the Cauliflower Trust and Dogsborough extorted Sheet in order to get a loan from the city and use it for the Trust. He goes to Ui in belief that he will be protected and paid. But, he is gunned down before he can testify as he became a pawn in Ui's seeking power.
Sheet
Sheet is a shipping tycoon who is strong-armed out of his company by the Cauliflower Trust before being murdered by Ui and his men. The city approves a loan to Sheet believing it will be used to rebuild the docks, when in fact the Trust is using it for themselves.
