What kind of influence does Mr. Blasingame have over Eugene in the novel, The Knockout Artist?

Mr. Blasingame's pale, emaciated appearance physically suggests the death and decay he represents. His extreme wealth, power, and decadence epitomize everything with which Eugene must struggle, and both Eugene's character and his spiritual progress are brought out in his dealings with Blasingame. The opening party, an orgy of drugs and sex hosted by Blasingame, shows Eugene willing to knock himself out for the entertainment of a decadent mob. The measure of his change is his final rejection of Blasingame's world. His refusal to participate in the sell-out of Jacques, and his decision to warn Jacques against Blasingame, is his refusal to live any longer in a world where the only choices are to use or be used.