diff --git a/src/actors.py b/src/actors.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b6a44c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/actors.py
@@ -0,0 +1,346 @@
+"""Actor sprites, loading, drawing, and actor state in one place.
+
+Use this module for everything actor-related:
+
+    actor_sides = Actor.load_sprite_sides(Path("assets"))
+    knoll = Actor.from_sides(actor_sides[0], (480, 320))
+    knoll.become_bad()
+    knoll.draw(screen)
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Dict, Iterable, Mapping, Optional, Tuple, Union
+
+import pygame
+
+from src.settings import (
+    DEFAULT_FRAME_TIME,
+    DEFAULT_SPRITE_HEIGHT,
+    DIRECTION_FRAMES,
+    Direction,
+)
+
+Position = Union[Tuple[float, float], pygame.Vector2]
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class ActorSpriteAsset:
+    """Loaded animation frames for one actor/skin."""
+
+    name: str
+    folder: Path
+    frames: Mapping[Direction, Tuple[pygame.Surface, ...]]
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class ActorSpriteSides:
+    """The good and bad sprite assets for the same actor."""
+
+    name: str
+    good: ActorSpriteAsset
+    bad: ActorSpriteAsset
+
+
+@dataclass
+class Actor:
+    """One game actor with movement, drawing, and good/bad sprite switching."""
+
+    name: str
+    good_asset: ActorSpriteAsset
+    bad_asset: ActorSpriteAsset
+    position: pygame.Vector2
+    direction: Direction = "down"
+    moving: bool = False
+    animation_time: float = 0.0
+    is_bad: bool = False
+    previous_position: pygame.Vector2 = field(init=False)
+
+    def __post_init__(self) -> None:
+        # Always store positions as Vector2, even if a tuple was passed in.
+        self.position = pygame.Vector2(self.position)
+        self.previous_position = self.position.copy()
+
+    # ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # Constructors / asset loading
+    # ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+    @classmethod
+    def from_sides(cls, sides: ActorSpriteSides, position: Position) -> "Actor":
+        """Create an actor from a loaded good/bad sprite pair."""
+
+        return cls(
+            name=sides.name,
+            good_asset=sides.good,
+            bad_asset=sides.bad,
+            position=pygame.Vector2(position),
+        )
+
+    @classmethod
+    def load_sprite_sides(
+        cls,
+        root: Path,
+        *,
+        target_height: int = DEFAULT_SPRITE_HEIGHT,
+    ) -> list[ActorSpriteSides]:
+        """Load actors that have both a ``normal_*`` and ``angry_*`` folder.
+
+        Example: ``normal_knoll`` + ``angry_knoll`` becomes one actor named
+        ``Knoll`` with a good and a bad side.
+        """
+
+        folders_by_key = {
+            cls._actor_side_key(folder): folder
+            for folder in cls.discover_sprite_folders(root)
+            if cls._actor_side_key(folder) is not None
+        }
+
+        sides: list[ActorSpriteSides] = []
+        for side, actor_name in sorted(folders_by_key):
+            if side != "normal":
+                continue
+
+            bad_folder = folders_by_key.get(("angry", actor_name))
+            if bad_folder is None:
+                continue
+
+            good_folder = folders_by_key[("normal", actor_name)]
+            sides.append(
+                ActorSpriteSides(
+                    name=actor_name.replace("_", " ").title(),
+                    good=cls.load_sprite_asset(good_folder, target_height=target_height),
+                    bad=cls.load_sprite_asset(bad_folder, target_height=target_height),
+                )
+            )
+
+        return sides
+
+    @classmethod
+    def load_sprite_assets(
+        cls,
+        root: Path,
+        *,
+        target_height: int = DEFAULT_SPRITE_HEIGHT,
+    ) -> list[ActorSpriteAsset]:
+        """Load every complete actor sprite folder inside ``root``."""
+
+        return [
+            cls.load_sprite_asset(folder, target_height=target_height)
+            for folder in cls.discover_sprite_folders(root)
+        ]
+
+    @classmethod
+    def discover_sprite_folders(cls, root: Path) -> list[Path]:
+        """Find all complete actor sprite folders below ``root``."""
+
+        if not root.is_dir():
+            raise FileNotFoundError(f"Missing assets folder: {root}")
+
+        return sorted(
+            (
+                folder
+                for folder in root.iterdir()
+                if folder.is_dir() and cls.has_complete_sprite_set(folder)
+            ),
+            key=lambda folder: cls.friendly_asset_name(folder).lower(),
+        )
+
+    @classmethod
+    def load_sprite_asset(
+        cls,
+        folder: Path,
+        *,
+        target_height: int = DEFAULT_SPRITE_HEIGHT,
+    ) -> ActorSpriteAsset:
+        """Load one actor folder into memory."""
+
+        if not folder.is_dir():
+            raise FileNotFoundError(f"Missing sprite folder: {folder}")
+        if not cls.has_complete_sprite_set(folder):
+            raise FileNotFoundError(
+                f"Incomplete sprite folder: {folder} must contain sprite_01.png through sprite_12.png"
+            )
+
+        frames: Dict[Direction, Tuple[pygame.Surface, ...]] = {}
+        for direction, frame_numbers in DIRECTION_FRAMES.items():
+            frames[direction] = tuple(
+                cls.load_surface(
+                    folder / f"sprite_{frame_number:02d}.png",
+                    target_height=target_height,
+                )
+                for frame_number in frame_numbers
+            )
+
+        return ActorSpriteAsset(
+            name=cls.friendly_asset_name(folder),
+            folder=folder,
+            frames=frames,
+        )
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def load_surface(path: Path, *, target_height: Optional[int] = None) -> pygame.Surface:
+        """Load one PNG as a transparent ``pygame.Surface``."""
+
+        surface = pygame.image.load(path)
+        if pygame.display.get_surface() is not None:
+            surface = surface.convert_alpha()
+
+        if target_height is not None:
+            surface = Actor.scale_to_height(surface, target_height)
+        return surface
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def scale_to_height(surface: pygame.Surface, target_height: int) -> pygame.Surface:
+        """Scale a surface proportionally to ``target_height``."""
+
+        width, height = surface.get_size()
+        if height == target_height:
+            return surface
+
+        scale = target_height / height
+        target_size = (max(1, round(width * scale)), max(1, target_height))
+        return pygame.transform.smoothscale(surface, target_size)
+
+    @classmethod
+    def has_complete_sprite_set(cls, folder: Path) -> bool:
+        """Check that the folder has all 12 required PNG files."""
+
+        return all(
+            (folder / f"sprite_{frame_number:02d}.png").is_file()
+            for frame_numbers in DIRECTION_FRAMES.values()
+            for frame_number in frame_numbers
+        )
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def friendly_asset_name(folder: Path) -> str:
+        """Turn ``normal_knoll_sprites`` into ``Normal Knoll``."""
+
+        name = folder.name
+        for suffix in ("_sprites_cleaned", "_sprites"):
+            name = name.removesuffix(suffix)
+        return name.replace("_", " ").title()
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _actor_side_key(folder: Path) -> Optional[Tuple[str, str]]:
+        """Return ``(side, actor_name)`` for folders like normal_knoll/angry_knoll."""
+
+        name = folder.name
+        for suffix in ("_sprites_cleaned", "_sprites"):
+            name = name.removesuffix(suffix)
+
+        for side in ("normal", "angry"):
+            prefix = f"{side}_"
+            if name.startswith(prefix):
+                return side, name.removeprefix(prefix)
+
+        return None
+
+    # ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # Good/bad state
+    # ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+    @property
+    def current_asset(self) -> ActorSpriteAsset:
+        """The sprite asset that should currently be drawn."""
+
+        return self.bad_asset if self.is_bad else self.good_asset
+
+    def become_bad(self) -> None:
+        """Switch this actor to its bad/angry sprite."""
+
+        self.is_bad = True
+
+    def become_good(self) -> None:
+        """Switch this actor back to its good/normal sprite."""
+
+        self.is_bad = False
+
+    def toggle_side(self) -> None:
+        """Switch good -> bad or bad -> good."""
+
+        self.is_bad = not self.is_bad
+
+    # ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # Movement / collision helpers
+    # ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+    def move_by(self, movement: Position) -> None:
+        """Move the actor and remember the old position for wall collisions."""
+
+        movement_vector = pygame.Vector2(movement)
+        self.previous_position = self.position.copy()
+
+        if movement_vector.length_squared() == 0:
+            self.stop_walking()
+            return
+
+        self.position += movement_vector
+        self.moving = True
+
+    def set_position(self, position: Position) -> None:
+        """Set actor position while keeping the last position for collision rollback."""
+
+        self.previous_position = self.position.copy()
+        self.position = pygame.Vector2(position)
+
+    def stop_walking(self) -> None:
+        """Stop movement and show the idle standing frame."""
+
+        self.moving = False
+        self.animation_time = DEFAULT_FRAME_TIME
+
+    def hit_wall(self) -> None:
+        """Move back to the last safe position and stop walking."""
+
+        self.position = self.previous_position.copy()
+        self.stop_walking()
+
+    def update_animation(self, dt: float) -> None:
+        """Advance walking animation time."""
+
+        if self.moving:
+            self.animation_time += dt
+        else:
+            self.animation_time = DEFAULT_FRAME_TIME
+
+    # ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # Drawing
+    # ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+    def get_frame(self, *, frame_time: float = DEFAULT_FRAME_TIME) -> pygame.Surface:
+        """Return the current animation frame for this actor."""
+
+        frames = self.current_asset.frames[self.direction]
+        if not self.moving:
+            # Frame 2 is the nicest standing/idle frame for this 3-frame cycle.
+            return frames[1]
+
+        frame_index = int(self.animation_time / frame_time) % len(frames)
+        return frames[frame_index]
+
+    def draw(self, surface: pygame.Surface, *, anchor: str = "midbottom") -> pygame.Rect:
+        """Draw this actor onto any Pygame surface and return the drawn rect."""
+
+        frame = self.get_frame()
+        rect = frame.get_rect(**{anchor: self._int_position(self.position)})
+        surface.blit(frame, rect)
+        return rect
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def draw_many(
+        surface: pygame.Surface,
+        actors: Iterable["Actor"],
+        *,
+        sort_by_y: bool = True,
+    ) -> list[pygame.Rect]:
+        """Draw multiple actors and return their drawn rects."""
+
+        actor_list = list(actors)
+        if sort_by_y:
+            actor_list.sort(key=lambda actor: actor.position.y)
+
+        return [actor.draw(surface) for actor in actor_list]
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _int_position(position: Position) -> tuple[int, int]:
+        """Pygame rect anchors expect pixel coordinates."""
+
+        return round(position[0]), round(position[1])
diff --git a/src/settings.py b/src/settings.py
index d245ac8..e19f541 100644
--- a/src/settings.py
+++ b/src/settings.py
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 # --- DESK ---
+from typing import Mapping, Literal, Tuple
+
 DESK_WIDTH = 70
 DESK_HEIGHT = 40
 
-
 # --- DOOR ---
 DOOR_WIDTH = 20
 DOOR_HEIGHT = 100
@@ -13,6 +14,23 @@ COLOR_DOOR_BORDER = (100, 90, 80)
 COLOR_HP_BAR_GREEN = (0, 255, 0)
 COLOR_HP_BAR_BG = (50, 50, 50)
 
+# Players Constants / Settings
+# Valid movement/animation directions.
+Direction = Literal["down", "left", "right", "up"]
+
+# Sprite files are grouped by direction.
+# Example: "down" uses sprite_01.png, sprite_02.png, sprite_03.png.
+DIRECTION_FRAMES: Mapping[Direction, Tuple[int, int, int]] = {
+    "down": (1, 2, 3),
+    "left": (4, 5, 6),
+    "right": (7, 8, 9),
+    "up": (10, 11, 12),
+}
+
+# Default drawing size and animation speed.
+DEFAULT_SPRITE_HEIGHT: int = 138
+DEFAULT_FRAME_TIME: float = 0.16
+=======
 
 # --- ECTS ---
 START_ECTS_VALUE = 1        # how many ECTS are generated at the beginning
@@ -72,4 +90,4 @@ COLOR_HP_BAR_RED = (200, 0, 0)
 COLOR_HP_BAR_YELLOW = (255, 255, 0)
 
 HUD_BAR_WIDTH = 100
-HUD_BAR_HEIGHT = 15
\ No newline at end of file
+HUD_BAR_HEIGHT = 15