The Living and the Dead

Main Characters and Their Development

• Ivan Petrovich Sintsov — the main character. A senior political officer and correspondent for an army newspaper, he loses his documents, including his party card, and returns to the front as a private. Throughout the events, he comes to understand the brutality and complexity of what is happening, undergoing internal changes related to the appreciation of life and the importance of every decision.
• Fyodor Fyodorovich Serpilin — a brigade commander, later a colonel-general. The second main character of the work. His character demonstrates emotional burnout and a realistic perception of the war.