Landscape with Invisible Hand

An alien species, the vuvv resemble rocky tables. Their biology differs vastly from that of humans; they communicate with each other by using “gritty fins” that make staticky noises, and they have no sexes, reproducing by budding. They came to Earth and offered to sell advanced technology to humans, which humans accepted. The vuvv economy took over, and they became the oppressors of humankind. Adam interacts with two vuvv—Shirley, a vuvv involved in the art contest, and an unnamed vuvv who threatens Chloe and Adam with a lawsuit.

The vuvv are characterized as apathetic, consumeristic, ignorant, and patronizing, and they’re the primary antagonistic force. They value consumption and capitalism, resulting in their apathy toward humans. Their ignorance of human culture exacerbates this apathy. They don’t understand modern human values and misunderstand human nature. This, combined with their sense of superiority, leads to their patronizing treatment of humans, particularly those who live in poverty. The vuvv act as the antagonists of human society by oppressing the human species and overtaking their economy. They’re also Adam’s antagonists. They create the poverty conditions that Adam must try to survive in, which subsequently result in his having Merrick’s Disease, in his lack of access to treatment for it, in the reality show lawsuit, and in his losing the art contest. They represent unchecked capitalism and consumerism.

Nattie and Adam’s mother and Mr. Costello’s wife, Mrs. Costello is educated, holding a master’s degree, and she worked as a bank teller before vuvv technology took over the position. Mrs. Costello’s defining characteristics are her persistent optimism and her altruistic nature.

Mrs. Costello is a flat side character who serves to support Adam’s character, to advance the plot, and to develop the theme of Capitalism and the Wealth Gap. While she doesn’t value Adam’s passion for the arts, she doesn’t impede him, demonstrating that she’s tolerant. Although Mr. Costello’s choice to leave upsets her, Mrs. Costello remains a pillar of optimism and support for her family, deviating from her role in short outbursts of emotion, such as when she briefly rants about Mr. Costello and when she experiences an emotional low while job searching and then watching the news. She creates tension in the plot by banning Adam from attending the gala, but she agrees to Adam’s plan to leave and start over in a new place, where she finally lands a job. Her character develops the theme of Capitalism and the Wealth Gap by demonstrating that hard work doesn’t always equal success in a capitalist society.

Adam’s 12-year-old sister and the daughter of Mrs. and Mr. Costello, Nattie Costello is humorous and creative, as the text reveals through her unique and witty remarks. She’s also sensitive and feels hurt when Mr. Costello doesn’t talk to her when he comes to steal the car. Like her mother and brother, Nattie is self-sacrificing and puts her family first.

Nattie’s character helps develop the themes of Capitalism and the Wealth Gap and The Ups and Downs of Young Love. She sacrifices the joys of childhood and becomes a financially contributing family member when she sells her stuffed animals. After finding a boyfriend, she wants to risk experiencing the same consequences as Adam by signing up for the dating show. Her family forbids it, but her motivation is to help her family rather than herself. Her character symbolizes the loss of childhood that children who live in poverty often experience.

Adam and Nattie’s father and Mrs. Costello’s husband, Mr. Costello worked as a salesperson for Ford but was laid off when humans on the Earth’s surface could no longer afford new vehicles and those living in the sky had no use for them. His primary characteristics include defeatism, egocentrism, and self-delusion.

Mr. Costello is a flat side character with antagonistic qualities. He becomes an antagonist to the other members of the Costello family when he deserts them to start a new life in Georgia. His antagonistic role deepens when he returns to steal Mrs. Costello’s car so that he can sell it and use the money to start a rug cleaning business. Mr. Costello isn’t a full antagonist because he isn’t the cause of the Costello family’s unfortunate circumstances; rather, his choices are a consequence of oppression by the vuvv. In addition, the patriarchal culture in which he was raised has a profound effect on his psyche given that he perceives his ability to provide for his family as the measure of his worth. Thus, his unemployment leaves him feeling emasculated. Although Adam is angry with his father, he still loves his father and defends him. The relationship between Adam and Mr. Costello reflects the conflicting emotions that children often feel when abandoned by a parent.

A volunteer art teacher at Adam’s school, Mr. Reilly works as a door attendant at a floating apartment complex, and he’s an artist, although he focuses on teaching art rather than on succeeding as an artist himself. Although he intrinsically values his vocation as a teacher and an artist, the capitalist society has devalued these pursuits, so he must earn a living by doing a meaningless job for the rich in which he’s constantly treated with no respect. Mr. Reilly is portrayed as kind, self-sacrificing, passive, and humble, and he’s a flat side character whose main role is to support Adam.

Mr. Reilly serves as both a mentor and a father figure to Adam. Adam’s mother doesn’t appreciate his artistic nature, but Mr. Reilly offers him education and encouragement, inspiring Adam to pursue his passion. In addition, Mr. Reilly urges Adam to use physical paints rather than computer programs, though Adam doesn’t take the advice until after his father leaves. The switch in Adam’s painting methods signifies the shift in Adam and Mr. Reilly’s relationship from a student-teacher relationship to something more familial. Adam looks up to Mr. Reilly because of his self-sacrificing nature, appreciating him for it:

[H]e’s thrown everything—all his talent, all his energy—into helping us paint and draw and sculpt and grow up. Boys who are hiding secrets, girls who can barely stand to see daylight—he has devoted his life to listening to us and giving us a space to make our statements (61).

Mr. Reilly is a foil to Mr. Costello, who is self-serving. Adam follows Mr. Reilly’s example, choosing to help his family rather than deserting them.

Hunter’s younger sister and Mr. Marsh’s daughter, Chloe Marsh moves into the Costello’s house along with her brother and father, and she soon enters into a romantic relationship with Adam. She’s the one who suggests that she and Adam participate in the dating show, and she’s the one who later severs the relationship after growing disinterested, treating Adam poorly, and beginning a new relationship with Buddy. She’s attractive—“very pretty, with a face shaped like a soft heart and with a delicate nose and lips like a Contessa in a Renaissance portrait” (24). At first, Adam sees Chloe as kind and compassionate, but his perspective changes after their relationship dissolves, and he later depicts Chloe as arrogant and unkind.

Chloe is a prominent side character. Most of her participation in the plot occurs during the development of the context and the rising action. She helps create tension because she first enriches Adam’s life and then taints it by rejecting him, which subsequently results in the lawsuit against them for presenting false love on their show. Like Adam, Chloe is caught up in the strength of first love; however, her characterization as unkind and arrogant is apt because she later mocks Adam after he loses the art competition to Buddy. Additionally, the text depicts Chloe as obtuse because she signs up to participate in another love series with Buddy Gui. Her character primarily develops the theme of The Ups and Downs of Young Love.

A young man in his early twenties, Hunter Marsh is Chloe’s brother and Mr. Marsh’s son. He works at a vuvv rendering plant and strives to fit in with the vuvv community: “He worships the vuvv playboys he works for. He talks about them all the time and wants to be just like them, with their cool apartments in the upper air and their devices for hovering” (81). The novel depicts Hunter as temperamental, self-centered, and conniving. He’s rude to the Costello family, failing to thank Mrs. Costello for dinner and playing disruptively loud music while Adam is severely ill.

Hunter is a relatively flat and symbolic side character. His personality doesn’t change; however, he grows increasingly vuvv-like. To do so, he uses “Alopeesh-Sure” shampoo so that he loses his hair, and he and his friends secretly practice crab-walking and study vuvv language. Hunter symbolizes people who support capitalism despite its ill effects on them. Hunter lives in poverty and is oppressed by the vuvv civilization, but he believes the assertion that all it takes is hard work and adaptability to rise to the top. By portraying Hunter’s behavior and personality as unsettling, the author satirizes the idea that one can overcome oppression by becoming the oppressor.