"[5] Howard Street tells the story of a multitude of characters living in the ghetto in Newark, New Jersey.
[1][6][7] Gypsy Pearl is described as the most beautiful whore on Howard Street, which is a high social and professional position in this community.
Franchot, who is Hip's brother, is an outsider on Howard Street because he chooses to work for a living at a corny job.
Jackie, one of the few who were able to escape from Howard Street, leaves as a promising athlete, but returns as a broken man.
Although the novel takes place in Newark, New Jersey, the patterns and people of Howard Street share many similarities with any urban city.