Steve is a 16-year-old Black high school student who, prior to his incarceration, lived at home with his parents and younger brother in Harlem, New York. He is the main character in Monster and the person to whom the title refers (the prosecutor insinuates that Steve is a “monster” in her opening statements of his trial). Steve tells the story using multiple genres. Prior to the events that resulted in his incarceration, he had been a videographer and hoped to pursue making movies as a career and as his way of interpreting the world around him. He copes with the surreal world of the prison and trial by fantasizing that he is living in a movie of his own creation. He authors a screenplay depicting his experience of the trial and being incarcerated, but he is most candid when he shares his deepest thoughts, fears, and hopes in his journal, which he writes in the first person.

In the seven months since his arrest, Steve has lived in the Manhattan Detention Center. As a prisoner, Steve lives in fear. He is aware of what he needs to do to avoid physical violence and assault by other inmates of the facility, which he describes in detail.