Leo is the protagonist of I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906. Readers first meet Leo when he is alone in the city and trying to survive on his own after having recently lost his father to the fever. He doesn’t have many possessions, but he’s a hard worker, getting up early each morning to sell papers on the streets.

When Leo is lonely or afraid, he imagines “Papa’s voice in his mind, bright and clear, telling him that he was lucky, and brave, and that something remarkable was going to happen to him” (7). He clings to thoughts of his Grandpop’s bravery to find courage within himself and get through hard times.

At first, Leo is resistant to Morris’s friendship, thinking he doesn’t “need any friends” (15). However, after he lives through the dire circumstances of the earthquake, he discovers that family can be formed through friendship, not just blood.

Morris lives in the same building as Leo, and Leo views him as a little brother. Morris lives with his uncle, who is almost always away from home gambling. Morris works at the grocery but spends every moment he can at the library.