Loureen
Loureen is the main character of Poof!, described in the play notes as "a demure housewife, early thirties" (Nottage 1). Loureen is a victim of domestic abuse; at the opening of the play, she has yelled back at her husband during another nasty fight, and with the release of her words he spontaneously combusts into a pile of ash. Loureen's response goes from shock, to disbelief, to panic, and eventually to relief—relief at being freed from her husband's terror.
Samuel
Samuel is Loureen's abusive husband, whose spontaneous combustion serves as the catalyst for the play. He speaks only one line—the one line, notably, consists of him screaming at Loureen—before he is turned to ash. Samuel was a liar and an abuser; Loureen had spent many nights in her friend Florence's bed to hide from him, and together the two women had been planning their escape.
Florence
Loureen's best friend and fellow housewife, Florence arrives to comfort Loureen when she calls her to come downstairs. At first, Florence doesn't believe her friend's story—how could that pile of ash on the floor be Samuel?—but eventually she comes to see that Loureen is telling the truth. Florence convinces Loureen that she is better off with Samuel dead, reminding her of all the times she hid upstairs to avoid his wrath. At the same time, Florence admits that she is jealous of Loureen's freedom, and slightly resentful: the two women had been planning their escape from their husbands, and Florence feels like she will never have the strength to do what Loureen did.
Edgar
Edgar is Florence's off-stage husband who never appears in the play. While not as outright abusive as Samuel, Edgar is far from the perfect husband. Florence laments that he "sure did take the better part of [her] life" (15).
Florence's children
Florence's children never appear in the play, but they are ultimately the reason why she stays with Edgar. While she feels like her husband has taken the good years of her life, it's implied that she wouldn't feel right abandoning her children.
