Character Analysis
John is Neil's co-worker, but we mostly remember him as that one racist jerk. He makes derogatory comments about the boy and wants to kick him out of the library. This action drives Neil to protect the boy from John. As a result, Neil gets to know the boy better. John doesn't grow or change as a character in the story, but we sure hope he does sooner than later. Like many of the other characters he is something of a plot device. He's definitely fodder for Roth's certain brand of humor.