Joseph Garcin

Joseph Garcin, a pacifist journalist from Rio, was executed by a firing squad after attempting to flee to Mexico to avoid military service. As the first of the three deceased to enter the room in Hell, Garcin attempts to maintain a macho demeanor, denying his fear of damnation. However, beneath this façade lies a man tormented by the judgment of his colleagues on Earth and his companions in Hell, as his life ended ambiguously. Was he a coward, fleeing danger, or a hero seeking glory? Garcin struggles with this question, and his fear of judgment by others is a deep-rooted anxiety he cannot escape.

He tries to make their situation bearable by proposing silence among them, but their relentless probing disrupts any peace. Garcin reveals the truth of his past: he mistreated his wife and evaded military service, which resulted in his friends branding him a coward. His desperation for Inez to perceive him as a hero underscores his need for validation, despite rebuffing Estelle's advances. When the door to their room unexpectedly opens, Garcin hesitates, fearing the unknown and the unresolved need to prove himself. His inability to leave symbolizes his incapacity to change or learn, cementing his place in Hell, encapsulated by his famous line, “Hell is other people.”

Inez Serrano

Inez Serrano, a former postal worker in Paris, met her end when her lover Florence turned on the gas, committing murder/suicide. Entering Hell, Inez is acutely aware of her damnation, exhibiting a scathing contempt for men, particularly Garcin. She views their hellish room as perfectly designed for mutual torment, recognizing her role as a torturer to the others. Inez's attraction to Estelle fuels her vulnerability, while her sharp insight prevents any delusions about their predicament.

Before her death, Inez had seduced Florence away from her husband, leading to his death and her own sadistic delight in their suffering. Unlike Garcin and Estelle, Inez is unflinchingly honest about her sadistic nature and the pleasure derived from others' pain, acknowledging that nothing remains in the living world for her. She alone perceives the truth that they are each other's tormentors and embraces this role with a relentless clarity, becoming Garcin's ultimate test. Her realism and refusal to indulge in self-deception represent her unique form of strength in their shared Hell.

Estelle Rigault

Estelle Rigault, a once-beautiful society figure, enters Hell with the composure of someone attending a social event. She initially attributes her presence to an administrative error, masking the truth of her heinous act: drowning her newborn daughter in front of her lover, who subsequently committed suicide. Estelle returned to her wealthy, older husband, oblivious to the gravity of her actions. Her concern remains with her external appearance, evidenced by her distress over the lack of mirrors in the room.

Estelle's superficiality and obsession with social appearances drive her to seek reassurance from Garcin, whom she tries to seduce. Uninterested in Inez's affections and perceiving other women as mere competition, she attempts to form a protective alliance with Garcin, failing to comprehend his deeper fears. When pushed by Inez, Estelle's frustration culminates in a futile attempt to stab her with a paper knife, an act that starkly illustrates the permanence of her own damnation. Her realization of her eternal entrapment in Hell shatters any remaining pretenses she held about her state.

The Valet

The Valet is a semi-comic figure who introduces the trio to their customized Hell. He possesses a sardonic amusement at their misconceptions about the afterlife, highlighting the absence of expected medieval punishments. Instead, the Valet reveals a Hell tailor-made for psychological torment. His unwavering gaze, devoid of blinking, signifies the inescapable truth and judgment the characters must face. The sporadic functionality of the bell to summon him underscores a hallmark of Sartre's Hell: the characters’ isolation and unheard pleas. With his exit, he leaves Garcin, Inez, and Estelle to confront the reality of each other's eternal torment, embodying the existential truth that "Hell is other people."