The story centers around two primary characters: the astrologer, who remains unnamed, and Guru Nayak, a client revealed to be a former victim seeking retribution. The astrologer's anonymity is purposeful, symbolizing his role as a common figure among the many conducting business in the city's makeshift stalls. This anonymity is also a narrative choice, as his name is unnecessary for much of the story. It is only towards the end that the astrologer is given a unique identity, distinguishing him from others. Throughout the story, he interacts with only two characters: a passerby seeking future advice and his wife, who speaks to him at the story's conclusion. The interaction with the passerby is purely functional, eliminating the need for a name. In the case of his wife, cultural norms in a typical South Indian family dictate that she would not address him by name. Thus, the author chooses to maintain the astrologer's anonymity despite the omniscient narrative perspective.

However, the astrologer is portrayed as a well-defined character, largely due to the assortment of items he carries to create an aura of spirituality and mystical knowledge. His meticulous personal appearance adds to his charisma. The profession of an astrologer inherently suggests a commitment to religious practices, which the character achieves through his diverse collection of articles. The palmyra writing bundle, in particular, lends authenticity, symbolizing wisdom and scholarly achievement. His forehead adorned with holy ash and vermillion, his turban, and his whiskers collectively present the image of a man devoted to a holy life rather than commerce. Despite these external appearances, the author ensures the astrologer is not perceived as a negative or deceitful character. Foretelling the future is his job, akin to selling goods, and he approaches it with purpose and dedication. Within the story's framework, it is crucial for the astrologer to appear as a gentle and harmless individual who fled his village to escape poverty. This positive portrayal helps balance the later revelation that he left the village after committing a crime. The key aspect of the astrologer's character is his evolution from a typical figure to a carefully individualized person as the story unfolds.

The initial three pages of the story focus on describing the astrologer and his environment. In India, roadside astrologers are a common sight, generally perceived as individuals who earn a living by taking advantage of people's credulity. This particular astrologer is no exception, though he appears to be a clever and astute man who relies on manipulating situations to his benefit. Without his own lighting system, he relies on the light from the neighboring vendor. When the groundnut seller closes shop, he loses his light source and must also head home.

Similarly, when clients come to him for advice, he allows them to talk extensively, gathering enough information to make educated guesses about their futures. His keen understanding of human nature and sharp wit are essential to the story's plot, and the significance of these details becomes clear by the story's conclusion. Among the trickster characters created by Narayan, the astrologer stands out as a memorable and likable figure.

Guru Nayak

Guru Nayak stands as the complete opposite of the astrologer. He enters the story midway and quickly comes off as both aggressive and ill-tempered. Unlike the astrologer, who is described through a third-person narrative, Nayak is unveiled through his own dialogue. He remains nameless until the astrologer finally addresses him by name. The name "Guru" is deliberately chosen, as it traditionally refers to a spiritual leader or teacher, which starkly contrasts with Nayak's character. Nayak is on a mission to find the person who wronged him, and his interaction with the astrologer is part of this quest. Unlike other clients, Nayak approaches with skepticism and, instead of simply accepting or rejecting the astrologer, insists on a wager. The wager stipulates that the astrologer's predictions must be accurate, or he must forfeit a significant sum of money. This wager is strategically included in the story to later reveal that Nayak's fondness for gambling may have played a role in the past altercation. Notably, at the story's end, when the astrologer's wife counts the coins given by Nayak and announces the total, the astrologer realizes he has been deceived. This small detail underscores that Nayak is the astrologer's antithesis, highlighting that, in the story's moral framework, the astrologer is the true victim.

From a narrative strategy perspective, it is intriguing that while the astrologer is portrayed through his actions and the narrator's viewpoint, Nayak is depicted through his dialogue. Nayak's speech is consistently abrupt and concise, reflecting his combative nature. Selecting the right diction poses a challenge for the writer, especially when characters would naturally speak a different language, not English. In this case, Nayak would likely have spoken Tamil. Therefore, his English dialogue closely approximates the language he would use in Tamil.

Instead of seeking the astrologer's help, Nayak proposes a wager, aiming to swindle him. A natural bully, his goal is to intimidate the astrologer to take his money. Interestingly, by the end of their exchange, the astrologer wins the reader's sympathy. One of the story's ironies is that in this encounter, the astrologer's "supernatural" knowledge proves accurate, and Nayak departs having accepted the astrologer's advice about the future. Nayak's attitude at the end also highlights an intriguing aspect of astrological prediction, as it is often practiced: the importance of the prediction lies not in its objective truth but in its ability to resolve the client's internal conflict.

Wife

The story features only one other character: the astrologer's wife, who remains unnamed. This aligns with the social norms depicted, where husbands seldom address their wives by name. Her lack of a name also serves to portray her as a typical figure, confined to household duties such as cooking and caring for their daughter. Notably, she is not from the same village—a seemingly minor but essential detail, as it sets the stage for the astrologer to confess his past mistake at the story's conclusion. If she had been from the same village (which would be more common), the astrologer's confession would have been unnecessary and disrupted the story's flow. The wife also helps illustrate the family's economic status; for instance, obtaining twelve and a half annas—a small amount by Indian standards—becomes a cause for celebration. Additionally, she serves a narrative function by allowing the astrologer to disclose parts of his past and the importance of meeting Guru Nayak on that particular day. Narayan's female characters often lack the sharp definition of his male characters, and this wife is no exception. She appears more as a stereotype than a distinct individual. Her origin from a town rather than a city holds significant sociological interest, although exploring this further would have compromised the story's cohesion.