A confident twenty-two-year-old Mexican-American waitress at the Columbia Buffet in Los Angeles, who becomes involved in a complex relationship with Arturo Bandini.

The bartender at the Columbia Buffet with whom Camilla is in love, noted for his quiet demeanor and later revealed to be cruel and abusive.

A presumably Jewish, middle-aged, emotionally unstable woman who pursues Arturo and becomes the inspiration for his writing.

The landlady of the Alta Loma Hotel, noted for her loneliness and implicit racism, as she is selective about the tenants she allows in her establishment.

A neighbor of Arturo's at the Alta Loma Hotel, a retired army man who has succumbed to alcoholism and often borrows money from Arturo.

A fourteen-year-old girl who admires Arturo's writing, briefly staying at the Alta Loma Hotel with her mother.

A distinguished editor in New York City who plays a significant role in publishing Arturo's works, acting as an unseen mentor figure through correspondence.