Narrator. Implicitly Boris Vasilyev, the author. Referred to as Borka. Fades out for approximately all of the story after the prologue.

Iskra Polyakova

The class activist and organizer, a true believer.

Family:

Mother: Comrade Polyakova. Stern, harsh, desperately lonely.

Father: disappeared when Iskra was small, probably arrested.

Lena Bokova

aka Lenochka. Good at reading aloud. Friends with Iskra, Zinochka, etc.

Zina Kovalenko

aka Zinochka, full name Zinaida. Frivolous but kind.

Family:

Father: Andrey Ivanovich Kovalenko, factory worker, veteran of the revolution and civil war.

Mother: head of the family

Sisters: older, married, not living at home

Pasha Ostapchuk

aka Pashka, full name Pavel. Jock. Has a crush on Lena.

Valya Aleksandrov

aka Valka, full name Valentin. Nickname Edison. Tries to invent things.

Vovik Hramov

full name Vladimir. nerd, quiet A student.

Sasha Stameskin

aka Sashka, full name Aleksandr. former Bad Kid, reformed by Iskra. Effectively Iskra's boyfriend except that everyone just calls it friendship.

Family:

Mother: works at a factory-kitchen

Father: unknown even to him

Vika Lyuberetskaya

full name Viktoriya. Pretty, intelligent, and privileged.

Family:

Father: chief engineer at the aircraft factory

Artyom Shefer

Bad at public speaking, has a crush on Zinochka.

Family:

Father: old-fashioned, works at the factory

Mother

Brothers: Yakov and Matvei, both work at the factory

Sister: Rosa, three years older than Artyom. Married and got disowned.

Brother-in-law: Piotr aka Petya aka Petka

Zhora Landys

aka Zhorka. Artyom's best friend.