Guide Mentor

Character Role Analysis

Mystery Man

The mystery man who organizes the entire card-delivery, message-sending operation is more secretive than 007 himself. We never learn his name, but that doesn't really matter because that isn't his purpose in the novel. The guy who sends Ed all over town helping people in various ways is Ed's guide—literally—because without him, Ed wouldn't even know where to go. Even though the cards tell Ed an address (or book or movie title), they ultimately lead him to find much more than the people in need. Though it sounds corny, Ed finds himself along the way.

That's why this mystery man is his mentor. They don't meet for coffee or dish about how to talk to girls, but Ed is certainly influenced by the mystery man. Now if only we could get him to send us a series of aces…