Giovanni's mother is a bedridden and ill woman who lives in the same modest home as her son. Her poor health is the central condition that defines her role in the narrative. Because she is unable to work or care for the household, her son Giovanni must take on adult responsibilities to support the family. He undertakes paid jobs such as delivering newspapers and setting type at a printing shop before and after school, using his earnings to buy food and necessities for her and his sister. The lack of milk for her dinner is the specific errand that sets the events of the story in motion, as Giovanni goes out to the dairy to fetch it, promising that his ill mother needs it that night.

Within the story, she serves primarily as a motivating presence for her son, representing the burden of care that isolates him from his peers but also the home and love he is fighting to protect. The narrative indicates that she is one of the very few people who genuinely cares for him, alongside his sister and his only friend, Campanella. However, her personality, her own perspectives, her motivations, and her personal development are not explored within the events of the film. She remains a largely passive figure whose sickness creates the poverty and loneliness that define Giovanni's daily life. Consequently, there is no detailed information available about her personality, any notable abilities she might possess, or any significant character development she undergoes during the story.