Characters

Andrea:
She is the main character, she is a real estate agent who has been married to her husband for several years: "In recent years, both of them had acquired many things to make up for all the lean years when they were graduate students, but now that they had been comfortable for quite a while, the pleasure of new possessions dwindled," Beaty, 207

Andrea's husband:
He is similar to Andrea, bored with his life, also likes possessions, also obsessed with a particular object: his camera. He is a stockbroker and "sometimes told people he was fortunate to be married to a woman who had such a fine esthetic sense and yet could also function in the real world," Beaty 208.


Mondo:
Andrea's dog who she sometimes brings to show homes if she thinks the buyers are dog lovers. He is also subtly compared to Andrea in the beginning of the story when he is happy and obsessed with his toy, similar to the excitement and happiness the bowl brings Andrea.


Lover:
He bought her material objects just as Andrea's husband did, except these things are listed as dainty objects, " the child's ebony-and-turquoise ring that fitted her little finger; the wooden box, long and thin, beautifully dovetailed, that she used to hold paperclips; the soft gray sweater with a pouch pocket..." Beaty, 209. He bought Andrea the bowl, and had asked her why she lived a "two-faced" life. Andrea chose not to be with him even though he made the first move toward her.