The youngest child in a family of five, Dog Swieteck is a lonely and often overlooked pre-teen. His shaggy hair and lean proportions earn him nicknames like “skinny thug” and “Skinny Delivery Boy” (30; 316). Throughout most of the narrative, Doug remains as sarcastic as he is sad. He faces constant ridicule from his father, brothers, and teachers, and as a result, he has low self-esteem.

Doug finds happiness by the end of the narrative once his positive influences expand beyond his mother. After Mr. Ferris and Mr. Powell express care and concern for Doug, Doug starts expressing care and concern for himself. He invests time and energy in his studies, treats his girlfriend, Lil, with growing respect, and becomes an exemplary, rather than a renegade, citizen. Doug’s transforms from an apathetic boy intent on toxic masculinity into an artistic, thoughtful person, willing to dress as a woman publicly to procure more Audubon pieces.

Doug’s father is an alcoholic liar who is physically and mentally abusive. He complains constantly, refuses to support his family, and uses all his energy to cause lasting harm to others. He and his friend, Ernie, work collectively to degrade his wife and children.