Frederick Kaiser

Frederick is a heavyset, stubby man of unpleasant appearance, his blonde hair receding above a face framed by a patchy beard and mustache. In his prosperous days he dressed sharply in a suit and tie. After Alice left, he let himself go entirely, appearing only in a grimy tank top and dark boxers, unkempt and short a tooth.

What Frederick was like during the marriage goes unrecorded, beyond the sense that he seemed happier and openly cherished his wife. Alice's departure broke him. He drowned the loss in liquor and gambling, grew idle, and let his ambitions rot as self-hatred took hold. That loathing curdled into cruelty toward his son, whom he regarded as less than human and battered almost daily with vicious words and blows.

Refusing to rebuild the wealth he had lost, Frederick sent Michael into town to steal food and daily goods, yet the beatings never eased and only worsened whenever the boy made a mistake. When police arrived after Michael was named an accomplice in a robbery, Frederick flew into a rage and cracked a bottle over his head in front of the officers. Even restrained, he kept spitting savage insults, growing angrier still at the sight of the money Michael had quietly been saving. He severed ties with his son completely after that night.