The characters in The Pilgrim's Progress fall into different categories, suggestive of the themes in the work.

The first category is the pilgrim. Christian is not the only character who is travelling to the Celestial City. Faithful and Hopeful also find a way to the city, and in the second part, Christiana is accompanied by her four sons and maid Mercy. By the time they reach the gates of the Celestial City, they have encountered Feeble-mind, Valiant-for-truth, Despondency, Honest, and Stead-fast, all of whom gain admittance. As their names suggest, the traits of these pilgrims vary, and their paths to the Celestial City differ. Significantly, there is more than one way to the kingdom of God, and the human qualities needed for the journey are not limited to one personality type.

For all the characters who successfully complete the journey, far more do not make it...