Dorothy Chambers

On the pivotal day when the story unfolds, Margaret's close friend Dorothy pays her a visit. This brief encounter allows Glasgow to highlight Margaret's core beliefs about love: that everyone should be with the person they truly love, even if it means sacrificing a marriage. When Margaret questions why a woman would remain with a man who clearly prefers someone else, Dorothy observes that couples often stay together for reasons like comfort and financial security. Dorothy's pivotal question—"Would you [give your husband up], if it were George"—leads Margaret to the decision to leave George so he can be with Rose.

Additionally, Dorothy acts as a connector between different generations. Unlike Margaret, but similar to Rose, she smokes cigarettes. Her knowing tone about a husband's infidelity suggests its frequency within her social circle.

George Fleming

George Fleming embodies the "typical" husband of his era—he depends on his wife for all his comforts and relies on her unwavering love while showing little of his own. As a lawyer, George seems driven more by convenience than passion; his affair with Rose emerged not from a desire for the younger woman but from convenience, as Margaret was unwell at the time. When confronted about the affair, George doesn't apologize but instead presents logical, lawyerly defenses. He argues that the affair shouldn't upset Margaret because he never loved Rose, thereby proving he neither understands his wife nor is willing to try.

Margaret Fleming

Margaret Fleming, the story's central character, has enjoyed a happy 20-year marriage to George until she discovers his shocking secret: he is having an affair with Rose Morrison. Margaret has devoted her life to George, tending to his personal needs and supporting him professionally. She has given up her independence and suppressed her desires. Now, she feels her entire existence is a facade, and her once-perfect world is shattered.

Margaret's conviction that people should be with those they love prompts her to sacrifice her happiness and let George go. She reasons that George must love Rose; otherwise, he wouldn't have betrayed her. She also embraces her own self-sacrifice to elevate the ordinary situation. It is only when George dismisses her offer to release him, revealing the affair with Rose was merely a fling, that Margaret realizes her gesture was in vain. She loses not only her past happiness but also the chance to be selfless—both central to her life with George. Ultimately, Margaret loses her idealistic view of love, her marriage, and her own life.

Rose Morrison

Rose Morrison, a young woman in her twenties, embodies the Bohemian artist archetype. She wears unconventional, modern attire, enjoys the latest literature, and has an art studio located in New York City's Greenwich Village. Initially, she seems to be the complete opposite of Margaret, both to the reader and Margaret herself. Rose is wild, artistic, passionate, and seemingly carefree. However, her feelings for George reveal that, in matters of the heart, she shares similarities with Margaret, whom she refers to as a "Victorian woman." Like the older woman, Rose believes that George's happiness should be prioritized above all else.

Rose acted independently when she informed Margaret of the affair without George's knowledge. Therefore, the emotions she expresses to Margaret reflect only her own perspective, not George's. Rose is convinced that the passion she shares with George is genuine love, yet she differs from Margaret in that she doesn't view love as something permanent. In this regard, her Bohemian nature becomes evident.