Archer crafts two central characters from vastly different backgrounds. By alternating their stories from one chapter to the next, he highlights their surprising similarities. William Kane and Abel Rosnovski appear to be polar opposites. No scene illustrates their differences more vividly than the initial chapters that describe their births. Kane, born into a prosperous Boston family, arrives in a pristine Boston hospital the same year Abel's unnamed peasant mother dies giving birth to him in a Polish forest. Their personalities evolve according to the challenges they face. Abel, who escapes a Russian prison to reach America, is a survivor who must fight for his very survival. Kane, a Harvard graduate, is born with the proverbial "silver spoon in his mouth," facing challenges only from unscrupulous rivals in corporate boardrooms.

Kane is often portrayed as unemotional, even cold. Known for his high principles, he is deeply committed to his wife, family, and business. Although he does experience anger, his emotional flare-ups are so quickly subdued that they might go unnoticed by the reader. He is a math prodigy with financial acumen and a character reminiscent of Citizen Kane. Despite his intelligence and principles, he lacks emotional engagement.

Abel, the self-made man, also stretches believability. He puts himself through Columbia University and spends months working as a waiter, hoping to be "discovered" by a discerning hotel owner. Miraculously, his talent is recognized, and it is only a matter of time before he controls an entire hotel chain. Unlike Kane, Abel is highly emotional. He loves his only daughter deeply, and his hatred for Kane becomes an all-consuming obsession. He joins the Army during World War II to seek "revenge" for what the Germans did to his family. Even with an emotional character like Abel, Archer often relies on narration instead of letting actions convey feelings. Despite these contrivances, Abel is the more relatable of the two, embodying the American Dream fulfilled.