Character Analysis
Campbell and Resi aren't the only secret-agent types bumming around the New York City area circa 1960. Kraft's been in the U.S. for a couple of decades doing covert ops for the Russians. The only problem is that he kind of stinks at it.
Kraft doesn't want to spy; he just wants to paint all day. He's an artist at heart, so while all of his spy efforts fail, he does make it big painting from his cell in prison. (Maybe this would have suited Campbell better, too…)
All the characters in this novel are filtered through Campbell's experience of them, of course. So here's Campbell's experience of Wirtanen explaining Campbell's experience of Kraft after Campbell learns of Kraft's betrayal (this is character analysis Inception-style; blame Kurt Vonnegut, not us):
'You've still got a friend,' said Wirtanen.'What do you mean by that?' I said. 'He's like you,' said Wirtanen. 'He can be many things at once—all sincerely.' He smiled. 'It's a gift.' (34.3-5)
How reassuring. This doesn't actually paint either dude in a good light. These two-faced foils are best buds who seem to wear their hearts on their sleeves, all the while hiding something tricky up them. It's not much of a surprise when Kraft finally betrays Campbell for real; haven't these two been betraying each other all the while, as it is?