Stanley Jerome, age 18 ½:

Eugene's older brother. In order to help the family, he works in a factory instead of attending college. Stanley does this without complaint, but he does feel the weight of his obligations and struggles between listening to his own heart and convictions and doing what the family needs him to do.
 

The mother of the Jerome household, she attempts to hold her family together and solve their problems. She has worked hard her entire life and probably grew up too fast because of it. She puts the family's needs before her own -- and though she often sounds annoyed by it, her greatest pleasure is being needed.
 

Kate's younger sister. She is recently widowed, very indecisive, and dependent. She wants to have a life for herself and her daughters, but she doesn't know how or where to begin. She feels buried with her husband. Blanche finds herself and her own strength throughout the play.
 

Blanche's oldest daughter. She's a beautiful and ambitious 16-year-old girl with dreams of Broadway. She is often resentful of her younger sister (who is pampered, due to heart flutters) and angry at her father for dying and leaving her with a weak mother.
 

The head of the Jerome family; he feels the pressure of supporting an extended family by working two jobs -- but does what he has to do to provide for his family, even at the risk of his health, and wishes he could give them more. With as little as they have, he would still stretch further to help any family member in need.