Miss Elsie Leeson

Protagonist of the story, Miss Leeson is a new tenant at Mrs. Parker’s rooming house, taking up occupancy in the titular Skylight Room for two dollars a night ($60 nowadays). She is a typist, described as “a very little girl” (49) who is “gay-hearted and full of tender, whimsical fancies” (51). She is well-liked, quick-witted, and inspires love in the male roomers. Looking out the skylight in her room, she finds a star that gives her joy and names the star Billy Jackson. When she is unable to find work and succumbs to starvation, the doctor who saves her life is named William Jackson, begging the question of whether Miss Leeson, despite being an ordinary person, nevertheless had a guardian angel looking out for her.

Mrs. Parker

Primary antagonist of the story, Mrs. Parker is the proprietress of the rooming house. She is class-obsessed and gifted at making...