Mr. Parsons sells insurance and has traveled to an unnamed city for business purposes. Parsons exhibits a “bootstrap mentality,” in which he attributes his success to his own hard work. This mentality dictates that people are accountable for their circumstances, whether good or bad. Prior to the accident that resulted in his blindness, Parsons was a laborer at Westbury. Despite the trauma he experienced due to the Westbury chemical explosion, life is full of promise and possibilities for Mr. Parsons. He is full of health and vigor; he is “very glad to be alive,” and the spring air “could thrill him with eagerness” (Paragraph 3).

Although Mr. Parsons is compassionate, his sympathies for those he considers to be in less fortunate circumstances position him as superior. In hearing the “blind beggar” approach, he feels a “sudden and foolish sort of pity for all blind creatures” (Paragraph 2). The word “creatures” functions to dehumanize those with blindness and calls into question the true depths of his compassion. However, his patience is exemplified in his response to the “peddler” who rudely and forcefully claims his time and attention. Even though he is not a smoker, Parsons agrees to buy the cigarette lighter at the man’s insistence.