Berserk!

Monica is the ringmistress and driving force behind the troupe, obsessed with making the circus a headline event. She often prioritizes publicity and profits over personal connections, which strains her relationship with her daughter Angela. Her quick refusal to buy out Albert's share hints at a ruthless streak; she uses Gaspar's death to shape the show's future. Throughout the story, her presence looms over the circus as both leader and indifferent mother.

Albert is the business manager of the circus, practical and protective of the enterprise. He is shocked by Monica's insensitivity and her desire for bigger audiences. He becomes a victim of the killer's scheme, murdered as tensions rise. He provides a counterbalance to Monica's showmanship with a focus on financial viability and security.

Gaspar is the celebrated tightrope walker who performs dangerous acts without a net over a carpet of bayonets. His death at the hands of a tampered rope sets off the murder investigation and fuels the publicity machine. He is a symbol of risk and spectacle for the troupe; his talent is overshadowed by a suspicious, cutthroat circus environment.

Frank Hawkins is the new, handsome tightrope artist brought in to replace Gaspar's act. He uses his charisma to negotiate a share of the circus with Monica, showing a willingness to manipulate and profit from others. He is involved in blackmail and becomes a primary suspect in the later murders; his high-wire act ends with a fatal fall onto bayonets.

Angela is Monica and Albert's daughter, expelled from school and brought back into the circus as a knife-throwing act. Her presence triggers jealousy and insecurity in Monica and fuels the tension within the troupe. She confesses to the murders and confronts her mother, then dies attempting to escape capture.

Matilda is another performer who tries to seduce Hawkins, becoming a catalyst for jealousy and conflict within the troupe. She is killed when a magician's trick goes wrong, highlighting the deadly stakes of showbiz.