Sir Leicester Dedlock: a proud baronet who is too proud for his own good
Lady Dedlock: Sir Leicester's young, elegant, and attractive wife who has a mysterious past
Mr. Tulkinghorn: the Dedlocks' inscrutable lawyer
Miss Flite: an old, mad woman who believes the Chancery court will eventually reward her with a decision in her favor
Esther Summerson: a ward of Mr. Jarndyce who narrates Bleak House in tandem with the author
John Jarndyce: the inheritor of Bleak House and a man of independent means who assumes the role of guardian to Esther, Ada, and Richard
Richard Carstone: John Jarndyce's and Ada Clare's cousin who is in love with Ada and who is a fool to believe his fortune could be made by solving the lawsuit Jarndyce and Jarndyce
Ada Clare: John Jarndyce's and Richard Carstone's cousin who is in love with Richard
Mr. Skimpole: John Jarndyce's friend who is a shameless cadge and sponge
Mr. Kenge: aka Conversation Kenge, an articled clerk of Kenge & Carboy
William Guppy: a clerk at Kenge & Carboy who madly and foolishly falls in love with Esther Summerson
Laurence Boythorn: John Jarndyce's bluff, outgoing friend
Mr. Krook: aka Lord Chancellor, an old, illiterate perpetually drunk dealer in junk in a rag and bottle shop
Caddy: the oldest child and daughter of Mrs. Jellyby who is a virtual slave to her mother's much ballyhooed charity work concerning Africa and who is in love with Prince Turveydrop
Mrs. Jellyby: a supercilious woman who pours her energy to charity work abroad at the expense of her husband and children
Prince Turveydrop: Mr. Turveydrop's saintly son who is in love with Caddy
Mr. Turveydrop: a supercilious man who lives for the sake of deportment
Tony Jobling: Guppy's and Smallweed's unemployed friend who agrees to spy on Mr. Krook on behalf of Guppy and Smallweed and whose pride and joy are his whiskers
Bart Smallweed: a fifteen year old boy who has the mentality of a nasty, savvy old man
Judy Smallweed: Bart's twin sibling who acts and looks like an old harpy despite being a teenager
Grandpa Smallweed: a shriveled, wizened old man who is a userer extraordinaire
Grandma Smallweed: non-entity who exists to be her husband's punching bag
Charley: the Smallweeds' poor house maid who eventually becomes Esther's personal handmaid
Mr. George: a large man who formerly served as a Dragoon soldier and who is woefully in debt to Grandpa Smallweed
Phil Squod: Mr. George's deformed assistant at George's Gallery where customers can practice rifle-shooting, fencing, and boxing
Inspector Bucket: Mr. Tulkinghorn's employee who sees to all the dirty work
Madamoiselle Hortense: French Maid who is out of favor with Lady Dedlock and who spies on behalf of Mr. Tulkinghorn
Peepy: the Jellyby's large-headed toddler and youngest child
Gridley: an old man and a dear friend of Miss Flite who has defied the High Court of Chancery for a good portion of his life only to be vanquished by it
Mrs. Bagnet: an active, honest woman between 45-50 years of age who runs the Bagnet household
Matthew Bagnet: Mrs. Bagnet's bassoon playing husband who once served as an artillary-man
Mrs. Rouncewell: the Dedlocks' long-time housekeeper at Chesney Wold
Mr. Rouncewell: Mrs. Rouncewell's son who has left Chesney Wold to study engineering and is doing quite well on his own
Volumnia Dedlock: the 60 year old cousin of Sir Leicester Dedlock whose marks of ditinction are her heavy appication of rouge and her obsolete pearl necklace
Rosa: Lady Dedlock's pretty hand maid who is in love with Mrs. Rouncewell's grandson
Mercury: the Dedlocks' town house butler
Mr. Jellyby: Caddy's father who is virtually speechless with despondency and resignation
Mr. James George Bogsby: landlord of the tavern Sol's Arm
Mr. Vholes: the creepy solicitor clerk who Richard Carstone hires to help him with the case Jarndyce and Jarndyce in Chancery court