Content Warning: This section refers to addiction.

In contrast to dynamic characters, static characters don’t change over the course of a story. They remain fixed points, highlighting other characters’ arcs or adding to a story’s tension or atmosphere. Static antagonists are common in horror stories, especially since these villains and monsters often represent concepts rather than fully fleshed-out characters.

In “Quitters, Inc.,” the firm’s employees are all static characters. Donatti is the story’s monster, an uncompromising and unchanging force that is suddenly injected into Morrison’s life. By remaining static, Donatti forces Morrison’s internal conflict forward, pushing the protagonist to the point where refusing to change could literally end up killing him. Likewise, Junk is a static, flat character and an enforcer who is there to do a single, violent job, and the receptionist contributes to the sense of unease in the scenes at Quitters, Inc.

Satire is a term often associated with comedy or farce, but its critical element is the use of critique, often through caricature and ironic comparisons. Since the satirical attitude incorporates ridicule, it often goes hand in hand with humor, but laughter is not an essential component of the form.