The main character and protagonist in the story, Richard is disillusioned, jaded, and disappointed with how his life has turned out. He believes that his honest and kind character deserves better; he is an aspiring writer and the family’s sole breadwinner, and he feels burdened by his “overweight, sullen wife who felt cheated out of the good things in life” and his lazy and disrespectful son, Seth (284). While Richard elevates his own creative drive and maintains a private workspace, he does not bond with Seth over his passion for music, viewing his near-constant guitar playing as a nuisance. Instead of building relationships with his existing family, he fantasizes about replacing his wife and child with his sister-in-law, Belinda, and his nephew, Jonathan.

The story opens with Richard transporting the modified word processor that Jonathan built for him for his birthday. He quickly realizes its power to affect reality when he types in something and it affects his reality. Discontent with his life and the less-than-ideal relationships he has with his wife, Lina, and his son, Seth, he wishes he could have the family his brother had. Richard is characterized by this longing for Belinda and Jon, and he characterizes himself against his brother, whom he describes as cruel and selfish.