The characters we meet in the story are Max Kelada (Mr. Know-All); the narrator;         Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay; and the doctor. 

       The characters are described by their appearance and characteristics, except for the narrator. 

       From the start, the narrator expresses his prejudices against the man with whom he must share a cabin (Mr. Kelada).  I (like the narrator) dislike the protagonist. Kelada was too selfish and egotistic: "Mr. Kelada was chatty.....He discussed plays, pictures, and politics. He was patriotic...... He managed the sweeps, conducted the auctions, collected money for prizes at the sports, got up quoit and golf matches, organized the concert and arranged the fancy-dress ball. He was everywhere and always. He was certainly the best hated man in the ship."

        But, at the end of the story, he appears to us as a good and a decent person.