Joe’s Apartment

Joe is a penniless, freshly minted Iowa grad who moves to New York to find an apartment and a job. He is a laid-back, somewhat messy young man whose prospects look bleak until the cockroaches move in and claim the place as their own. After a series of dead-end jobs, he becomes the unskilled drummer in Walter Shit's band. His romance with Lily adds heart to his struggle to stabilize his home and life.

Lily is Senator Dougherty's daughter, promoting a community garden to occupy the vacant site around the apartment building. Her project attracts Joe, and a romance blossoms when he gifts her a token of the garden. When her garden is burned and the building is threatened, she becomes a rallying point for the tenants and the roaches. She embodies hopeful urban renewal and civic engagement in the face of corruption.

A powerful politician pushing to empty the building to make way for a prison; he delegates intimidation to Alberto Bianco and his nephews to coerce tenants. His actions illustrate the corrupt, development-driven urban politics threatening working-class homes. The character embodies the antagonistic pressure against community spaces.

An eccentric artist who helps Joe secure the last rent-controlled apartment by spinning a rumor that Mrs. Grotowski was Joe's mother. He runs a band that Joe becomes the drummer for, tying Joe’s fortunes to the group's success. While self-centered, Walter's actions ultimately help reveal a more communal path to saving their home. His quirky leadership and street-smarts anchor the tenants' resistance against demolition.

Ralph Roach is the leader of the cockroaches who are friendly, tune-savvy, and grateful for their human housemate. He guides the roaches' interactions with Joe and coordinates their efforts to defend the apartment and later help convert the area into a garden. He embodies the idea of intelligent, cooperative insects with a surprisingly sophisticated social structure.

Alberto Bianco is a thug hired by Senator Dougherty to intimidate tenants, using his nephews to pressure them. He embodies the brutal, coercive tactics used to clear space for development and profit.

Vladimir Bianco is one of Alberto's nephews, a blunt enforcer taking part in intimidation. He represents the tangible threat of violence used to push residents off their homes.

Jesus Bianco is another nephew; a participant in the intimidation and scheme to pressure tenants for the demolition. He adds to the ensemble of antagonists driving the conflict over the building.

Private Investigator Smith appears to be involved in the building's affairs, adding a noir layer to the story as he investigates the odd happenings around the tenants and the demolition scheme.