Mr. Styles is the man who owns the photography studio in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, that Sizwe Banzi walks into to have has picture taken. He needs the picture as it will become an important part of the elaborate ruse that he has undertaken to assume the identity of the late Robert Zwelinzima.

Thanks to South Africa's draconian laws of Apartheid, Sizwe is unable to legally live or work in Port Elizabeth, because he is a black man and does not have a pass to be in a white area. Thanks to his unsuccessful efforts to find a job, he was going to have to leave and return to his home in King William's Town, where there are even fewer opportunities for him.

Mr. Styles is the first character we get to know in this play. Before Sizwe walks into his studio, Styles has a role of entertaining the audience, which he fulfils by telling them a funny story from the days when he had worked at Ford Motor Company.

To Sizwe, Mr. Styles offers a means to an end, in that he provides Sizwe with the photograph that will allow him to reinvent himself—with the appropriate documentation—as Robert Zwelinzima. Since Robert had the paperwork required to remain in Port Elizabeth, Sizwe was able, with Mr. Styles' help, to gain the same "privilege."