Character Clues

Character Analysis

Direct Characterization

Characterization doesn't get much more direct than "Dana was a well-known idiot" (1.13).

That's direct and accurate. The kid also has a "dim-witted criminal history" (17.80) and has, according to Officer Delinko, a "disrespect for authority" (17.118). Pretty much everything Dana does and says is an explicit indication that he's a total jerk…and that he's not the brightest crayon in the Crayola box.

Speech and Dialogue

People from Northern California say "hecka." People from Pittsburgh say "yinz." And people in Coconut Cove say "ain't"—"those Rottweilers ain't cheap" (10.126); "it ain't the crocs ya gotta worry about" (14.159); "I ain't kiddin'" (15.69).

Roy—who doesn't say ain't—marks himself as an outsider. We're not sure what the Montana dialect sounds like (in all those Westerns, the Montana cowboy tends to be the strong, silent type) but we do know that they use the contraction "isn't."

Thoughts and Opinions

Being the new kid on the block is lonely work, and Roy has a lot of time to think. But luckily, we get exclusive access to some of those thoughts. And we see that he's a super-conscientious guy.

Initially, Roy thinks that they strange running boy "would catch all kinds of grief from Dana" (1.6) and he's very cautious about mentioning him to other people (especially those who could cause him trouble). This conscientiousness is also the reason why he allows Mullet Fingers to use his name in the hospital. And telling his mom that he'd do it again just shows how loyal and caring Roy is.