FYODOR PAVLOVITCH KARAMAZOV—The father, who is a cynical, immoral, and depraved sensualist dedicated only to the fulfillment of his carnal desires.
DMITRI (MITYA)—His oldest son, who develops an intense hatred for his father and who is convicted of murdering him.
IVAN—The second son, who develops into the extreme intellectual and who questions all values of life.
ALYOSHA (ALEXEY)—The youngest son, who is deeply religious and who functions as the central figure in the novel.
SMERDYAKOV (PAVEL FYODOROVITCH SMERDYAKOV)—Old Karamazov’s illegitimate son, whose last name was assigned to him by Fyodor and whose first names were merely adopted. He grows up in the Karamazov house as a servant.
ADELAIDA—Karamazov’s first wife and the mother of Dmitri.
SOFYA—Karamazov’s second wife and the mother of Ivan and Alyosha.
