Let's discuss our cast!

C. Auguste Dupin -  A savvy and learned Parisian who helps the city’s police to solve crimes. Dupin uses psychology to ruin the plans of a thief and find a stolen letter that the police of Paris could not find by conventional investigations. Dupin solves the theft of the letter by putting himself at risk politically. Whereas the Paris police tread lightly around the actions of Minister D——, an important government official, but Dupin ignores politics. In this story, Dupin reveals his capacity for revenge. When the Minister insulted him in Vienna years before the present crime, Dupin promised to repay the slight. This story demonstrates that Dupin’s brilliance is not always dispassionately mathematical. He cunningly analyzes the external facts of the crime, but he is also motivated by his hunger for revenge.

Unnamed narrator -  A friend of Dupin. In awe of Dupin’s brilliance, the narrator faithfully recounts Dupin’s explanations without doubting or challenging him.

Monsieur G——  -  The Prefect of the Paris police. Limited by his conventional police rules, Monsieur G—— depends on Dupin’s assistance in peculiarly difficult crimes, and his own general competence highlights Dupin’s superior abilities.

Minister D——  -  A government official and the thief of the letter. Minister D—— ‘s ability to outwit the police in his crime proves, that he is a worthy adversary for Dupin.