Characters Discussed
John Williamson
John Williamson, a man in his early forties, the office manager for a disreputable real estate company. He receives the blame for all the other characters’ problems and failures because he rates their sales and awards and then leads potential buyers to the more successful, thus creating a situation of better salespeople always getting the better leads. He appears incompetent and more concerned with office procedure than with sales. Roma claims that Williamson got the position because he is the boss’s nephew. Although he demonstrates an inability to string a customer along, Williamson is not above accepting bribes from his employees or acting ruthlessly. At the end, he catches Levene in his own boast and solves the robbery.
Shelley Levene
Shelley Levene, a desperate, failing salesman in his fifties. Levene becomes pathetic and foolish in his attempts to regain his salesmanship. Constantly referring to his past successes, he blames his present state on bad luck and Williamson’s bad leads. His one moment of triumph becomes a cruel joke when Williamson delights in telling him that his large sale was to a notoriously insane couple whose checks are no good and about whom Williamson warned everyone through memos. Worse, Levene also falls victim to Dave Moss’s scheme and robs the office. At the end, Levene is the play’s only pathetic figure whose luck has failed him.
Richard Roma
Richard Roma, a caricature of the sleazy, smooth salesman; he is in his early forties and is slick and self-absorbed. Completely amoral, he demonstrates the technique by which he has become top salesman of worthless Florida property when he cons James Lingk with a deceptively sincere-sounding contemplation on everyone’s need to seize the moment. Roma is the salesman that Levene must have been in his prime. Later, in the middle of the robbery investigation, Roma teams with Levene to dissuade Lingk from backing out of the sale. Ironically, at the end, Roma, impressed by Levene’s recent sales but ignorant of Levene’s confession, displays his own greed and gullibility when he tells Williamson that he wants a share of whatever Levene has coming to him, or he will tell the boss of Williamson’s incompetence.
Dave Moss
Dave Moss, a bigoted salesman in his fifties, always looking for an angle to get leads. He sees no problem in resorting to robbery yet is sharp enough to seek out weaker colleagues to perform the actual crime. Persuasive and threatening, he tests his plot on George Aaronow but succeeds with the more desperate Levene.
George Aaronow
George Aaronow, a gullible salesman in his fifties who acts as Moss’s foil in the robbery plot. He questions the ethics of the act but also is interested in its success. Surprisingly, he does not succumb to Moss’s threat and perform the crime. It is not clear if Aaronow saves himself because of any stronger sense of morality or simply by luck.
James Lingk
James Lingk, a man in his early forties who is a caricature of a naïve customer. He is suckered by Roma and saved by his wife. He provides the comic counterpoint to the play’s ending by apologizing to Roma for being forced by his wife to cancel the deal.
Baylen
Baylen, a rough policeman in his early forties who ineptly investigates the office robbery. He provides opportunity for a variety of jokes on police incompetence by the other characters.
Characters
George Aaranow
George Aaranow is a somewhat dim-witted salesman in his fifties who unwittingly becomes entangled in Moss's plan to steal leads and sell...
(This entire section contains 645 words.)
Unlock this Study Guide Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
them to a rival company. In Act II, Aaranow demonstrates the play's only act of loyalty by keeping silent about Moss's involvement.
Baylen
Baylen is a police detective in his early forties. In Act II, he is present in the vandalized office to investigate the burglary. Although we never witness him conducting direct interrogations, his harsh demeanor is enough to unsettle even the most hardened salesmen.
Shelly Levene
Shelly Levene is a salesman in his fifties who was once successful but has since fallen on hard times. Desperate for a sale to make ends meet, he pleads with his office manager, Williamson, in Act I, scene i, for quality leads and even offers to bribe him, though he lacks the necessary funds. Levene is so financially strained that he worries about affording gas. He is the only character whose personal life is disclosed; he resides in a residential hotel and has a daughter who may rely on him and possibly be hospitalized. In Act II, he enters the ransacked office triumphantly, boasting about closing a deal for eight parcels. He elaborates on how he compelled two elderly buyers with limited resources to finalize the purchase. Reveling in his success, he criticizes Williamson for lacking sales skills. In his enthusiasm, he inadvertently reveals that he knew Williamson hadn’t submitted Roma’s contract for the Lingk sale the previous night, leading Williamson to realize Levene must have been in the office and committed the burglary. Despite Levene's pleas, Williamson reports him to the police.
James Lingk
James Lingk is a client to whom Roma sells a plot of land. Pressured by his wife, Lingk returns to cancel the transaction, prompting an impromptu scene between Roma and Levene, which falls apart due to Williamson's interference. Even after realizing Roma deceived him, Lingk apologizes for canceling the deal.
The Machine
See Shelly Levene.
Dave Moss
Dave Moss is a disgruntled man in his fifties who orchestrates a plan to sell the stolen leads to a competing company led by Jerry Graff. In Act I, scene ii, he appears to have coerced fellow salesman George Aaranow into committing the actual burglary. In Act II, Moss is visibly upset after being interrogated by the police, expressing indignation at his treatment and deciding to leave for the day. Later, in an effort to protect himself, Levene informs Williamson that Moss was the mastermind behind the burglary.
Richard Roma
Richard Roma, in his early forties, stands out as the "star" salesman in the office. In Act I, Scene iii, he appears to be having a casual conversation with a friend, but is actually setting up a sales pitch for a stranger named Jim Lingk. In Act II, we discover that he successfully closed the deal, only to watch it unravel due to Williamson's uninformed interference. Toward the play's conclusion, Roma seems to propose a partnership with Levene, but this, too, turns out to be just another deception.
John Williamson
John Williamson, also in his early forties, serves as the office manager responsible for distributing the "leads" to the sales team. This role grants him significant authority. He allocates the best leads to those with outstanding sales records, and securing the best leads is essential for making sales. In Act I, he agrees to provide premium leads to Levene if Levene pays fifty dollars per lead and surrenders twenty percent of his commissions. In Act II, Williamson is with Detective Baylen, questioning the salesmen. He interrupts Roma and Levene's attempt to prevent Lingk from canceling his contract, inadvertently ruining the deal due to his lack of understanding. Both Roma and Levene verbally attack him, and Levene inadvertently reveals the clue that enables Williamson to identify him as the burglar.
