The author of How Steel Was Tempered was Ostrovsky. This book tells the story of the growth of young steel workers in the Soviet Union in the 1920s. It describes the story of the protagonist, Pavel Kochagin, who gradually became a strong, confident, and far-sighted leader of steel workers through practice and self-struggle in a difficult working environment. The main content of 'How Steel Was Tempered' included: - The story of Kochagin's struggle in the Soviet steel industry showed his arduous working environment, indomitable fighting spirit, and positive outlook on life. - It described how Kochagin gradually grew into a strong, confident, and far-sighted leader through contact and communication with the working class and other young workers of the Soviet Union. - The role and function of young people in the Soviet society and their historical mission and responsibility during the period of revolution and construction were discussed. - It showed the hardships and richness of the Soviet society and people's lives, reflecting the historical and cultural characteristics of the Soviet society. The main characters of How Steel Was Tempered included: - Pavel Kochagin: The protagonist is a young worker who came to the industrial city of Petersburg from the countryside. Through hard work, he gradually became a strong, confident and far-sighted leader. - Brezhnev: The villain in this book is a greedy, narrow-minded and incompetent bureaucrat who played a negative role in the construction of the Soviet Union. - Nikolay Stalin: The positive character in this book is one of the leaders of the Soviet Union during the period of the construction of the country. He made an important contribution to the Soviet Union's industrialization and modernisation. The above was the main content and main characters of " How Steel Was Tempered ". This classic novel reflects the hardships and richness of Soviet society and people's lives. It also explored the roles and functions of young people in Soviet society and their historical missions and responsibilities during the period of revolution and construction.