Leo Finkle

Leo Finkle has dedicated the past six years to studying at New York’s Yeshivah University to become a rabbi. Believing that being married will improve his chances of securing a position with a congregation, Leo seeks the services of a professional matchmaker. Leo is somewhat aloof and eventually realizes, "he did not love God so well as he might, because he had not loved man." When Finkle falls for Salzman’s daughter, Stella, he is forced to confront his own emotional shortcomings.

Lily Hirschorn

Lily Hirschorn is introduced to Leo Finkle by Pinye Salzman, the matchmaker. She is a schoolteacher from a respectable family, capable of discussing a variety of topics. Leo finds her "not unpretty." However, it quickly becomes evident that they are not a suitable match.

Pinye Salzman

Pinye Salzman is the professional matchmaker consulted by Leo. He is an elderly man living in severe poverty, with a disheveled appearance and a fishy odor. Although Salzman works to unite couples, Leo suspects that the matchmaker, or "commercial cupid," sometimes misrepresents the age and financial status of his clients. Salzman appears deeply troubled when Leo falls for Stella, leading Leo to suspect that Pinye, whom he regards as a "trickster," might have "planned it all to happen this way."

Stella Salzman

Stella Salzman is the daughter of Pinye Salzman, the matchmaker. Salzman has disowned her, apparently due to some serious act of disobedience. When Leo, who has fallen in love with Stella, inquires about her whereabouts, Salzman responds, "She is a wild one—wild, without shame. This is not a bride for a rabbi." Upon finally meeting Stella, who is smoking and leaning against a lamppost in a manner reminiscent of a prostitute, Leo believes he sees "a desperate innocence" in her eyes.

Leo consults Pinye Salzman, who is a professional matchmaker. Salzman is an elderly man who lives in great poverty. He is unkempt in appearance and smells of fish. While Salzman works to bring couples together, Leo has reason to believe that the matchmaker, or "commercial cupid," is occasionally dishonest about the age and financial status of his clients. Salzman seems greatly dismayed when Leo falls in love with Stella. Yet Leo begins to suspect that Pinye, whom he thinks of as a "trickster," had "planned it all to happen this way."