Gustad Noble is the novel’s protagonist and the character we follow most closely. In his fifties, with a tall, broad physique, Gustad is “the envy and admiration of friends and relatives whenever health or sickness was being discussed” (1). In fact, the only visible effect of a serious accident he suffered years earlier is a slight limp.

Gustad works at a bank, and while his salary keeps the family afloat, they don’t have much, and their money doesn’t go as far as it once did. Gustad is a devout Parsi, a member of the Indian Zoroastrian community, who practices the daily prayers and other elements of his religion. In addition to being the father figure in his own family, Gustad acts as a father to Tehmul, a disabled man in their building, as well as to the Khodadad Building’s entire micro-community. He also acts fatherly to Dinshawji, worrying about his over-the-top behavior and caring for him when he’s in the hospital. Gustad is often filled with bittersweet memories of his own childhood, his parents, and his grandparents. He surrounds himself with objects from his childhood, such as furniture handcrafted by his grandfather.