A Columbia-educated woman working as an executive assistant in Manhattan, she is the narrator's only friend and aspires to an ideal upper-middle-class lifestyle. She often looks to the narrator with a mix of admiration and envy.

A peculiar psychiatrist in New York City who provides the narrator with numerous pills to aid in her sleep project. Her professional approach is unconventional and often humorous.

An emotionally distant woman who struggled with alcohol and maintained an aloof relationship with her daughter. She spent her days at home, contributing to the narrator's childhood experiences.

A science professor who had a distant relationship with the narrator, marked by his serious and sterile demeanor. He passed away when the narrator was in college.

A young artist known for controversy, who gets involved in the narrator's hibernation project by documenting her experience for an art show. He provides practical support during her year of sleep.

A banker working at the World Trade Center, he has a longstanding but superficial relationship with the narrator, characterized by his self-centered and utilitarian view of their interactions.