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Joe Keller

Husband, father, and patriarch of the Keller family. Joe is the protagonist of All My Sons. Before the play begins, he and his business partner, Steve Deever, owned a munitions business that manufactured and shipped faulty aircraft engines to the Air Force during World War II. Steve went to prison for the crime, but Joe was falsely exonerated. During the time of the play, Joe’s son, Chris, is part owner of the business. Joe appears to be successful and happy, but he is actually tormented and plagued with feelings of guilt.

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Kate Keller/Mother

Wife of Joe and mother to Larry and Chris Keller. Kate waits in vain for Larry to return from the war even though he’s been missing in action for three years. A nervous, emotional woman, Kate knows about Joe’s role in the munitions crime but lives in a state of denial. Kate is superstitious enough to believe that astrology will reveal whether Larry is alive. She suffers from headaches, nightmares, and insomnia, symptoms of a tortured soul.

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Chris Keller

Joe and Kate’s son and Larry’s brother. Chris commanded a company during the war and now works in Joe’s business. Chris wants to marry Ann Deever, Larry’s former girlfriend, and does not support Kate’s denial of Larry’s death. Chris has been changed by the war and is morally upright, empathetic, and compassionate.

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Ann Deever

Steve Deever’s daughter, Larry’s former girlfriend, and Chris’s fiancée. As the antagonist in the play, her visit to the Kellers’ home by Chris’s invitation sets the play’s action into motion. Ann is compassionate and loving, though she hasn’t spoken to Steve since his incarceration. She loves Chris and wants to be honest with his family. She is realistic about what happened to Larry and carries a secret that she hesitates to reveal.

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George Deever

Ann’s brother and Steve’s son. George served in the war, and as Kate observes, the war left him looking much older than he is. He cares deeply for Ann, but he believes that he has the power to forbid her to marry Chris. George is an attorney who works in New York City. Ashamed of his father’s munitions crime, he has rejected Steve, who is in prison.

Dr. Jim Bayliss

One of the Kellers’ neighbors. Jim, about forty, and his wife, Sue, live in the house where Ann and George grew up. Jim longs to be a medical researcher rather than a practicing physician but feels constrained by both the postwar culture and his wife to make money in a more traditional way.

Sue Bayliss

Jim’s wife and neighbor to the Kellers. Sue is concerned about status and appearances and is a bit of a neighborhood gossip. Jim blames his unhappiness on Sue and her need for money. Sue is not afraid to tackle sensitive issues with Ann or Kate. She speaks her mind and doesn’t back down.

Frank Lubey

Another neighbor to the Kellers. Frank, age thirty-two, was not drafted during the war because of his age. He has agreed to create an astrological chart to determine whether November 25, the day Larry was reported missing, was a “fortunate day.” Frank and Ann had a romantic relationship before the war. Frank ended up marrying Lydia instead of Ann, but he feels happy to see Ann again and has some second thoughts about his marital decision.

Lydia Lubey

Frank’s wife, a mother of three, and neighbor to the Kellers. Lydia, age twenty-seven, engages in small talk with Kate, Ann, and George and makes her own hats. Lydia is happily married and well-adjusted.

Bert

An eight-year-old boy from the neighborhood who visits the Kellers’ home twice in the play. Bert plays a game with Joe in which he is a police officer who can lock up criminals in an imaginary jail in Joe’s basement.

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