Breakfast at Tiffany's characters

Appears from the start

An unnamed writer who recalls living in the same Manhattan brownstone as Holly Golightly during the Second World War. Holly nicknames him Fred because he resembles her brother. Fascinated by her independence and troubled by the dangers around her, he becomes her confidant and preserves the unresolved story of her disappearance.

Also known as Lulamae Barnes

Appears from the start

A young woman living alone in wartime New York, supporting herself through gifts from wealthy men while refusing to define herself by their expectations. She is sociable, evasive about her past, devoted to her brother Fred, and drawn to Tiffany's as a symbol of order and safety. Her legal name and earlier life emerge only when her husband arrives from Texas.

Appears from the start

The proprietor of a bar near Holly's apartment and one of the people who remembers her years later. Protective and practical, he sometimes takes Holly's telephone messages. A report and photograph that reach him from Africa renew the narrator's hope that Holly found another life after leaving New York.

Appears from the start

A photographer who lives upstairs from Holly and repeatedly complains when she rings his bell after forgetting her key. Years later, an image sent from Africa reminds him of a carved figure resembling Holly, prompting Joe Bell to contact the narrator.

Appears from the start

A Texas veterinarian who knew Holly as Lulamae Barnes and married her when she was very young. He comes to New York hoping to bring her back to the rural household she left. His arrival reveals the family history Holly has concealed, but he accepts her refusal and returns alone.

Appears from the start

A Brazilian diplomat with whom Holly hopes to make a stable new life. He is attentive and socially ambitious, but ends their relationship through an intermediary after Holly's arrest threatens his career and reputation.

Appears from the start

An imprisoned organized-crime figure whom Holly visits weekly at Sing Sing in return for payment. She believes she is merely passing harmless weather reports between him and his lawyer, but the messages draw her into a criminal investigation.

Appears from the start

A Hollywood agent who discovered Holly as a teenager, taught her how to present herself, and hoped to make her a film star. He regards her as gifted but impossible to contain, and explains part of her invented public identity to the narrator.

Appears from the start

A wealthy, frequently married socialite whom Holly considers as a possible husband. His money and name conceal dependence and emotional immaturity, and Holly abandons the prospect when she sees more clearly how little security he offers.

Appears from the start

A model who becomes Holly's friend and briefly her roommate. Her relationship with José and her rivalry with Holly contribute to a volatile household in which friendship, status, and romantic competition remain entangled.

Appears from the start

A nameless orange tomcat Holly takes in while insisting that neither of them belongs to the other. When she leaves New York she abandons him in the street, then immediately regrets it. The narrator later finds that the cat has settled safely with a family, a resolution Holly herself never receives.