In "Four Fancy Sketches, Two Chalk Outlines, and No Apology" by Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Brother Man is handing out pamphlets in the street and is angered by Riley ignoring him.

Brother Man initially appears as a bigot, when he objects to Riley's appearance as "gay-looking." However, Thompson-Spires makes it clear that Brother Man says this only because he is upset by Riley's attitude, rather than because he is prejudiced. Brother Man feels that Black people ought to stick together and show solidarity, even if they apparently have little in common.

While Brother Man looks intimidating, he is in fact a creative artist and intellectual who is trying to sell his own hand-drawn comic books. Although he initially appears to be the antagonist in his encounter with Riley, the author points out that they are somewhat similar characters at heart. Brother Man may be somewhat irascible and sensitive, but he is not dangerous. If it were not for his skin color, his scuffle with Riley would have amounted to nothing.