Narrator: The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Once again, the narrator is a first person narrator, but this narrator seems pretty sane, though he does seem to enjoy some of the trappings of the eccentric, such as the gothic mansion and keeping to himself. He is very fond of his new friend Dupin, seeming enamored of him in an unromantic way - the narrator is extremely impressed with his analytical mind. The narrator here is more like a sidekick, the Watson to Dupin's Holmes.

C. Augustine Dupin: The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Friend of the narrator. The two meet as they both are searching for a rare book and discover they have a lot in common. Dupin is poor, and moves into an old mansion with the narrator, where he lives rent-free. He has a great analytical mind and is able to deduce almost anything simply by observing the world about him in great detail and understanding human nature.

Mademoiselle Camille L'Espanaye / Madame L'Espanaye: The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Murder victims who resided in the Rue Morgue alone. Daughter Camille was strangled and shoved up a chimney, while her mother's head was sliced off and she was tossed out a window - all by an angry orangutan.

Sailor: The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Owner of the killer orangutan. He was not involved in the murders in any way, and his story, when discovered by Dupin, is able to set bank clerk Adolphe Le Bon free.