William (

William Lee—Bill—is the narrator and protagonist of the novel. He states he was born 1914 to an established, wealthy family. He describes himself in general terms only: short brown hair, a thin body with light and sparse black body hair. He grew up in an apparently typical familial situation but was plagued by various nervous conditions such as nightmares and hallucinations. His athletic performance was mediocre and his academic performance was average or slightly above. He attended a typical suburban high school but gravitated toward an interest in criminal behavior. Lee was a loner and a petty vandal but graduated and proceeded to an Ivy League university where he read English wish moderate success, graduating with honors. While at university he met a clique of homosexual artists but was largely put off by their posturing. After graduating he began to receive a lifelong monthly stipend...