The novel portrays a galaxy of unforgettable characters, including Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, Wang Xifeng, Yuanyang, Qingwen, Lady Dowager, Jia Zheng, Jia She, Jia Zhen, and Jia Lian. Jia Baoyu is a rebel of the feudal noble class. He lives in a large feudal family, but he resents their decadence and hypocrisy, and finally abandons them. His rebellious character is fully expressed in his attitude of indifference to the ways of aristocratic life. He holds in contempt the tiresome men and greatly sympathizes with the women, oppressed and trampled by the feudal system. Jia Baoyu's anti-feudal awareness is also reflected in his persistent pursuit of true love. The tragic love story between Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu is in fact a social tragedy.

Lin Daiyu is also a rebellious figure in the novel. She represents, to a certain degree, women's unfortunate fate in feudal society and their resistance to its oppressiveness. But her weakness is in her restrained and fragile character, typical of noble girls. Baoyu and Daiyu are the two most beloved characters of the author. In contrast to Baoyu and Daiyu, Baochai is portrayed as a conventional woman of feudal society. But in the declining period of the feudal system, she is also a tragic figure.

The author also portrays a large number of servant girls such as Qingwen and Yuanyang, who live at the bottom rung of the Jia family.These girls are kind, pure, and brave. The successful portrayal of these oppressed servant girls manifests the author's progressive democratic ideas.

An Illustration of A Dream of Red Mansions

Jia She, Jia Lian, Jia Zhen, Wang Xifeng, and other negative characters represent the dissipated, greedy, and sinister ruling clique of feudal society. The two-faced Wang Xifeng especially makes a deep impression on readers, with her cruel heart under a mask of sugarcoated words. Wang Xifeng is an outstanding archetypal personality among characters created in Chinese novels.

A Dream of Red Mansions made great artistic achievements, which is especially reflected in its characterization. Unlike The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Outlaws of the Marsh, in which characters are mainly set off by exciting stories, A Dream of Red Mansions portrays the characters by describing their different mental outlooks and inner thoughts and emotions. The novel also provides a great deal of detailed descriptions of characters' daily lives, which is perfectly combined with the depiction of the characters. Cao Xueqin attained a flawlessness in language, greatly influencing later fiction writers. A Dream of Red Mansions reflected high aesthetic quality in many aspects including poetry, drama, art, architecture, and gardens.