Miserly old man (Harmon) makes fortune in dust business; breaks family bonds; creates odd incentives in his will; events follow.
Hexam and Riderhood families - working out a rough life on the waterfront - heavy stories. Charlie Hexam getting a chance at education; Lizzie getting a chance; the schoolmaster is intense. The honest public house owner.
Wilfer family - mother and younger daughter (Lavinia) - effectively comic (Bella is older daughter favored by Harmon the original old dust man). Wilfer father a "cherub."
Boffin family - loyal to Harmon; somewhat reminded of the Bleak House character (the guy who ran the shooting gallery).
John Rokesmith.
Lawyers Mortimer Lightwood and Eugene Wrayburn.
Inspector - reminds of Bottle from Bleak House.
Wegg - the "man of letters" - reading Decline and Fall to Boffin - not a nice person, but presented in an amusing way. Interested in contents of the dust mounds, enlists Venus.
Would-be aristocrats receive a lot of shots; lawyers not very well thought of, either.
Jewish character involved in money-lending business, portrayed sympathetically
I enjoyed throughout except for one significant oddity (weakness) in the plot (G.K. Chesterton's note (included as an Appendix) explains what happened, but don't check that until after finishing the novel). Notwithstanding - recommended.
[Gift from Paul Jr & Nedda]