In 2002-03, a qualitative case study explored the perspectives of 70 stakeholders connected to two community-based adult literacy programs in Manitoba, Canada. Four themes emerged from within-case and cross-case analyses of the data: program design, human relations, community context, and financial support. Instructor-learner and learner-learner relationships were essential to the theme of human relations. Research participants noted the powerful impact that these relationships had on the nature of the classroom climate and on the results of the learning process. This article therefore focuses on adult literacy learners' relationships with their instructors and peers, as a catalyst for making recommendations for practice in literacy programs and other adult education settings.