Michael Scott is the regional manager of the Scranton branch of Dunder-Mifflin. He has few social skills and is surprisingly immature for a man in his forties. He likes to believe that he’s the office comedian, but his humor is often inappropriate or even offensive. He usually shows a complete lack of self awareness, coupled with a huge ego. Despite all this, Michael is basically a “nice guy” and his employees occasionally get glimpses of the good man he is inside.

Michael is a Scranton native. He and Phyllis Vance were actually classmates in school. He had social difficulties as a child, and as an adult he tries to form friendships and romantic attachments too quickly, even proposing marriage to his real estate agent, Carol Stills, after only nine dates. He had an affair with his boss Jan, and he clearly felt the relationship was deeper and more meaningful than she did.

Michael sometimes feels threatened by people with more education, and tries to reassure himself by saying that street smarts and life experience are more valuable than schooling, yet he doesn’t have much in the way of those skills, either. He was one of the company’s top salesmen before being promoted to his current position, and it’s often said he’s much more suited to sales than managing an office branch. His friendly, conversational style served him well as a salesman, yet doesn’t seem to translate into good management skills. If the Scranton branch of Dundler Mifflin doesn’t achieve its highest productivity, it’s usually Michael’s fault.

Currently, Michael’s ex-girlfriend, Jan, is pregnant, and he plans to raise the baby with her even though he isn’t the father. He is clearly attracted to the Scranton P.R. representative, Holly, but it remains to be seen which of these women Michael will end up with.

When the series begins, Dwight Schrute is a salesman at the Scranton branch of the paper-goods distribution company Dunder-Mifflin. He holds the title of "Assistant to the Regional Manager" but constantly refers to himself as "Assistant Regional Manager," attempting to elevate himself to second-in-command to Michael Scott. Dwight craves authority over others and relishes any minor task that Michael or any anyone else gives him. Though Dwight acts like a know-it-all, he is actually quite gullible and naive. For this reason, he is easily tricked and tormented by his desk-mate and fellow salesman Jim Halpert. Much to Dwight's displeasure, later in the series Jim is promoted to "Assistant Regional Manager," becoming second-in-command to the Regional Manager. Dwight's outlook on life seems to be more severe than that of his fellow employees and most people in general. Dwight's actions during crucial moments hint that he would like to imagine himself as a hero in an action movie. This idea is furthered by his idolism of fictitious, television heroes such as Hiro Nakamura and Jack Bauer. Despite lacking social skills and common sense, Dwight is Dunder-Mifflin's top salesman (having more sales than a computer). Additionally, despite his personal dislike of Jim Halpert, the two have been shown to be a very effective sales team. Dwight's ability as a salesman, though, has rarely commanded the respect of his peers or led