His aim was to be neither good-looking nor ugly, neither fat nor thin. Just a vague shape hovering on the edge of people’s field of vision. To blend into his surroundings until he negated himself, remaining a remote place never visited.”
-- Guylain (chapter 1)

Importance: To say Guylain has low self-esteem would be an understatement; as this introductory quote at the novel’s start suggests, he views himself as an entirely bland person who has no right to make a mark on the world. However, more optimistically, this Guylain could also be viewed as a blank page. His remoteness makes his journey more dramatic, as even the most basic human contact takes on an enormous importance for him. As the novel progresses, he evolves from a vague shape into a solid protagonist, filling in the empty spaces with his relationships.

This coarse pulp would be used one day to make other books, some...
-- Guylain (chapter 5)