Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew up… in the shadow of his Nobel Prize-winning father, Dr. Leland Goines. As a child, Jeffrey grew to despise his father’s work after witnessing the old man’s unjust treatment of animals – particularly using innocent animals in deadly experiments.
Living… in a mental asylum. Jeffrey, like most of the patients there, does not believe he is insane. Rather, according to Jeffrey it’s the fault of “the system.” As he explains to the new patient, James Cole: “Buy a lot of stuff, you’re a good citizen. But if you don’t buy a lot of stuff, if you don’t, what are you then, I ask you? What? Mentally ill.”
Profession… activist. Jeffrey is a committed animal rights and anti-consumerist advocate. According to Jeffrey, there’s something deeply wrong with the world and it’s his job to fix it.
Interests… explaining society’s evils to the rest of the hospital’s inmates. A sample rant: “We’re not productive anymore. We don’t make things anymore. It’s all automated. What are we for then? We’re consumers.” Yes, he’s a fun guy to hang around with.
Challenge… convincing the authorities that he’s not insane. Jeffrey knows that we’re all mere cogs in a larger machine, just playing our socially allocated roles. It’s up to him to show the rest of the world that “there’s no right, there’s no wrong, there’s only popular opinion.”
Personality… jittery, antisocial and extremely dedicated to his ideas. Jeffrey isn’t exactly the image of sound mental health. He is beholden to numerous involuntary twitches and sudden bouts of anger. It’s best not to get in Jeffrey’s way, as he’ll do anything and crush anyone to reach his goals.
