Dr. Cunningham

Despite catering to an affluent clientele, Dr. Cunningham is known for his laxity, carelessness, and sheer incompetence. His peers hold him in low regard, but his circle of influential friends ensures he retains hospital privileges for his patients. His animosity towards Ferguson arises when Ferguson challenges Cunningham's inadequate treatment, ultimately saving a patient's life.

Barbara Dennin

Barbara is an isolated student nurse at the hospital, captivated by Ferguson. She initiates a romantic encounter with him, leading to her pregnancy. In desperation, she seeks the help of an illegal abortionist who disastrously fails, leaving her with a life-threatening infection. Her indiscretion becomes public, shattering her life—she faces expulsion from the nursing program and rejection from other hospitals. Although Ferguson resolves to marry her, her initial recovery is short-lived, and she tragically passes away.

Dr. George Ferguson

Ferguson, a talented young intern, finds himself caught in the turmoil between his personal commitments and professional aspirations. He is devoted to his patients and dreams of advancing humanity's welfare through innovative medical treatments. As the story begins, Ferguson is engaged to Laura, whom he loves deeply. Their plans include moving to Vienna for a year of surgical studies before returning to work alongside Hochberg at the local hospital. This ambition persists despite the shadow of his father's early demise from overwork-induced heart attack.

However, the demands of his career are overwhelming, and Laura forces a decision: marry her and enter private practice or pursue his surgical dreams. Facing the potential end of their engagement, Ferguson chooses to abandon his surgeon aspirations, accepting a hospital associateship and opting for private practice, even as he recognizes it may prevent him from achieving his full professional potential.

After Laura discovers his affair with Barbara, Ferguson is again torn between his medical career and personal life as he plans to marry Barbara. This choice, like before, would mean sacrificing his surgical ambitions. He is prepared to leave medicine entirely to support Barbara. Yet, with Barbara's death, Ferguson chooses his professional path over personal ties. Though Laura seeks reconciliation, he recommits to medicine, declaring, "This is where I belong!"

Dr. Hochberg

Dr. Hochberg, the esteemed chief of surgery, is wholly devoted to his craft, with little life beyond the hospital walls. To him, realizing one's potential in medicine demands total sacrifice, with rewards far richer than mere existence. As Ferguson's mentor, he fervently advises the young doctor to prioritize his medical career above all else, including love and honor. By the play's conclusion, Ferguson embraces Hochberg's ideals, choosing them over all other pursuits.

Hocky

See Dr. Hochberg

Laura Hudson

Laura, engaged to Ferguson, hails from a wealthy family. She urges Ferguson to forsake his surgical dreams for a more manageable private practice. When he refuses, she threatens to end their engagement. However, by the play's end, she recognizes the depth of Ferguson's commitment to medicine. Seeking compromise, she finds Ferguson resolved to keep his professional ambitions unimpeded by marriage.

Mr. Hudson

A prosperous businessman amidst the Great Depression, Mr. Hudson is a patient of Dr. Hochberg. He pledges to become a hospital trustee on the condition that his prospective son-in-law, Ferguson, receives an associateship.

Dr. Levine

Once an intern at the hospital, Levine chose marriage over opportunities with Hochberg six years prior, leading him into private practice to support his family. This choice left him struggling to make ends meet, turning him into a disheartened, defeated man. At the play's end, he and his ailing wife, who suffers from tuberculosis, have relocated, facing anew the daunting task of survival through private practice.

Dorothy Smith

Dot, a young diabetic under Cunningham's care, suffers shock from an excessive insulin dose ordered by Cunningham, who mistakenly believes she is in a coma. Ferguson's accurate diagnosis and timely intervention save her life.