The main characters of the Minguzzi – Manetti families:

• • Vittorina, Pirì’s wife and mother of his children. Unyielding and austere, she is in every respect the one who runs the household. Conflicts with her children will often become occasions for confrontation.
  • Pietro, or Pirì. Vittorina’s husband and head of the family. He finds himself facing unknown enemies and enduring unclear situations. All of this will have repercussions on his personality.
  • Maria Pascoli, known as Mariuccia. Now allied with her daughter-in-law, she leaves the management of almost all household duties to her.
  • Ernestina and Paolina. The Bumbara cousins try to build a relationship with their uncle Pirì’s family, but various obstacles constantly arise.
  • V. Celso’s daughter stands in opposition to the cousins in every situation. Despite attempts at reconciliation, the Bumbara family never knows whether they can trust her.

Pietro and Vittorina’s children:

• • • Mario, the firstborn. The book portrays his transition from adolescence to adulthood, through a difficult period.
    • Maria, or Mariulina, the second-born. She has a very direct personality and cannot hold back when she believes she is right. She will often expose herself more than the others and will oppose her cousin V.’s behavior.
    • Domenica, known as Ghina. Lively and adventurous, she often gets herself into complicated situations, especially during adolescence.
    • Angela, known as Angiulina. The youngest of the family, she suffers from her siblings’ dominance over her and therefore develops a rebellious way of reacting to her predetermined role.

Other members of the Manetti family appearing in the book:

• • • Grisostoma, or Brunette. She must face the dangers her husband brings into the household, eventually going so far as to do something unexpected.
    • Pietro, known as Cricket. After marrying Lucia, he has softened his character and mended relations with his priest brother. He increasingly takes the reins of the Sért family.
    • Lucia, Cricket’s wife. Thanks to her, her husband begins to smooth out his rough character, but she is not always well regarded by his sisters. This will create conflict.
    • Grisostomo, known as Giaza. Having obtained the priesthood years earlier, Giaza faces the challenges of the era with incredible strength, but without achieving results. Plagued by mental health issues, he will return to live in Villanova with his family.
    • Antonio, known first as Dark Locks and later Telman. The son of Innocente and Felicina, he collaborates with the Antifascists and begins to investigate the events involving Lieto, discovering that the culprit is much closer to him than one might think.
    • Nerino. The second son of Innocente and Felicina. He will help his uncle Cricket in his difficulties, creating an unexpected family bond. The two will have to investigate the nature of Pavlàza’s notebook.
    • Laurina. She begins taking care of her brother Giaza after he leaves Villanova for a time. She will later try to reestablish relations with Vittorina, following a disagreement that occurred years earlier.
    • Tonina and Manetto. The children of Laurina and Arturo are now grown. The former confronts her parents in order to be with the man she loves, while the latter lives in the shadow of relatives who try to control him.
    • Aunt Medea, or Sister Maria Rosalia. Having returned to Villanova to bid farewell to her loved ones, she intercepts a small notebook belonging to Pavlàza, without knowing what to do with it.