What Men Live By

Main Characters and Their Development

• Simon — a shoemaker, a kind and hardworking man who shows compassion and mercy by taking in the stranger Michael. Throughout the narrative, Simon learns that true wealth lies in love and kindness.
• Matrena — Simon's wife, initially skeptical about Michael's presence in their home, but later she also shows compassion and care, realizing the importance of mercy and love.
• Michael — an angel sent to earth to learn what drives people. At the beginning of the story, he appears as homeless and helpless, but as the plot unfolds, he discovers that people live by love and returns to heaven, having fulfilled his mission.