It's the Small Things That Can Kill You - Character Descriptions

 It’s the Small Things That Can Kill You – Characters in order of mention

Fenton Cox – Fenton is twenty-one years old and lives with his parents. He is autistic but is high functioning. He is much younger than all the other clients in the Men’s Anxiety Management Group except for Jax. His manner of dress makes him look disheveled, but he has favorite or “lucky” clothing that he wears frequently and therefore doesn’t always have a chance to launder often enough. He has a part-time job at a local library four nights a week and an uncanny but irritating ability to remember what people in group therapy say verbatim and exactly when they say it. Fenton’s anxiety is usually managed by various medications which Dr. Knivens is constantly adjusting. He speaks in a monotone except when he is talking about his favorite comic books or television programs. Fenton’s anxiety can manifest in life as passive aggressive behavior and blind-siding others with elaborate pranks.

Mikey Bevins – Is a dispatcher for the local Sheriff’s Department He used to be a street cop in a rough section of Chicago. Mikey has a mice phobia. It seems highly resistant to treatment by other therapists. It is so humiliating personally that it is difficult for him to talk about. It ultimately is the reason he has a lower status job currently. Recently, someone has been releasing mice into his home and rental properties. Mikey swears he will do something evil to this person, should he ever catch them. So far, he knows only that the person wears a red hoodie sweatshirt. Mikey’s inability to control anxiety has left him with a history of violence. Mikey is always exercising, fighting weight problems, and is starting to lose his hair.

George Steinman – Is an aging hippie that found a rich investor and was able to successfully make a living selling his art. He both paints and makes metal sculptures. His politics align with left wing democratic socialism. He is a pacifist. George also teaches art. He is eccentric in his business practices and choices of friends. He is fond of Jax and Fenton. George periodically will have a nervous stutter when he is required to speak in public. He manages it via smoking marijuana. Doctor Knevins often reminds him that there are better pharmaceuticals he could prescribe for him. George usually declines.   

Roger Varney – Is the head of a contract labor company. He has thinned red hair and a type A personality. He constantly tries to demonstrate that he is an alpha even though he is past his physical prime. Roger’s anxiety is manifested in several addictions such as smoking and drinking. Knivens has suggested he is a high-functioning alcoholic that needs to be referred to a different specialist. Lately Roger has started to manifest panic episodes which seem to fascinate Knivens, so he is permitted to stay on as part of the group. Varney is a self-made man and a workaholic. He tends to dislike people that have had an easier path in life.

Dr. Walter Knivens – The leader/facilitator of group therapy. Knivens is seventy-five years old and is trained in classical Freudian and Jungian analysis. He prefers to use Gestalt experiments and Cognitive Behavioral techniques with anxiety management issues. Knivens has a grandfatherly appearance, gentle mannerisms, seems to be able to see and process many things simultaneously in group and is sought after because he is a skilled hypnotist. He has piercing blue eyes and wild untamed white hair. He smokes a pipe and permits others to smoke in therapy.

Manfred Dubrovsky – Manfred is an aging sports celebrity who used to play for the Chicago Bears. His position was defensive tackle. The year is 1972 and Manfred has been out of the sports limelight for about three years trying to figure out what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Knivens calls his set of problems ‘existential’. His anxiety over new careers and fear of running out of money results in frequent bouts of depression and moodiness. Otherwise, he seems a likable character and tries to treat the experience of therapy as an opportunity to discover new dimensions of himself. Dubrovsky frequently suffers occasionally from insomnia.

Jack Pillsbury – Jack is a very difficult group member who demonstrates frequent anger towards what he views as a very hostile world. At times he is overly suspicious of others and will accuse people of lying or not being genuine. Jack owns several businesses, including two car washes, a liquor store and a video rental business center that is about to close. He is a disabled war veteran and suffers from PTSD.

Jaxon Larue – Often called Jax by his parents and friend, he is the narrator and newest member of the group. Jax tends to see a bigger picture of how the group is evolving than other members. He has ADD which he has been prescribed medication for but often chooses to smoke marijuana to take the edge off the prescribed stimulant. Jax is the youngest member of the group and is often permitted to be quiet and observe because he has never been in therapy before.  

Richard Gonzales - Often called Gonzo by Jack Pillsbury and Rico by Jax and George. He is a newcomer to the group. Richard occasionally wears a red hoodie, and it sometimes triggers Mikey's anxiety. Richard is undergoing treatment for obsessive compulsive disorders. His symptoms include Catholic rituals (crossing himself at odd moments) and checking rituals. He is a large powerfully built, socially out-going but soft-spoken person that shares sports interests with Manfred.