Pasi

Muniyandi is a cycle-rickshaw puller and the family's sole breadwinner. He spends a large portion of his earnings on liquor, which strains the household's finances. His addiction and stubbornness contribute to the ongoing poverty and tension within the family.

Valliamma is Muniyandi's wife, who bears the brunt of daily survival for seven children. She leans on her friend Rakkamma for financial support and tries to hold the family together. Her life ends in tragedy when she commits suicide after learning of the relationship between Kuppamma and Rangan.

Rakkamma is a street food vendor and Valliamma's friend who lends financial and moral support to the family. She embodies the improvised solidarity found among roadside communities.

Krishna is the educated son who elopes with a girl, leaving the family in disarray. His actions contribute to the family’s rift and the social pressures they face.

Kuppamma helps the family by earning with Chellamma, picking up rags. She becomes involved with Rangan, which leads to pregnancy and social complications.

Chellamma is Kuppamma's friend who participates in informal income-generating work alongside her. She represents the resilient, working-class solidarity among the women in the slum.

Rangan is a lorry driver who becomes involved with Kuppamma. His relationship with her and the subsequent revelation of his wife’s acceptance of the child frame a complicated dynamic of love, duty, and accountability. He and his wife ultimately adopt the child.

Kumudha is a family member whose presence adds to the household's dynamics. The summary does not detail her actions, but she forms part of the central cast and contributes to the narrative's unfolding.

Rangan's wife shows empathy toward Kuppamma and agrees to adopt the child with Rangan as a form of penance for the affair.