Mike is only nine, and he is characterized by his tendency to be surprised and to talk more openly than the other boys. He is more naive than the other boys and thus more likely to impart information. The other boys tell him he needs to shut his mouth more, and he tries to do so. However, the other boys sometimes have to cut him off so that he won't reveal too much to outsiders. At the same time, they benefit from his eagerness to share what he knows, such as that Old Misery is coming home early.

Although Mike is a minor character, Greene uses his tendency to explain his circumstances to suggest how ordinary all the boys' families are. Mike is expected to go to church and to accompany his parents on a holiday. The implication is that the other boys have similar obligations when they are not participating in gang activities, only are too savvy to talk about them.

Mike, because he is so young, is impressionable and allows himself to be guided by the nihilistic T. Under T.'s guidance, he eagerly participates in the destruction of Old Misery's historic home, seeming scarcely aware of the implications of what he is doing.