Billy Pilgrim does not fit into the traditional role of a hero. He is complacent, detached, and completely passive. Billy is an unpopular and unsuccessful weakling at the beginning of the story; by the time of his death, he is a successful and famous weakling. He is not capable of great deeds. The most important events in his life happen to him rather than because of him. The passivity of Billy Pilgrim makes him an easy target for bullies, including Roland Weary and the Tralfamadorians who abduct him. Billy’s unique perception of time does not make him any less detached or uninterested man; it simply makes him more aware of his place in the universe.

Billy does not fear death or pain. The events of his life are enough to destroy most people. He is bullied relentlessly, he witnesses terrible acts of violence during World War II, he sees the aftermath of the Dresden bombing, and he learns that he is an insignificant representative of an insignificant species. He knows the time and place that he and everyone he loves will die. He has no real relationship with his children and marries a woman he does not love. When he tries to tell the world about his ideas, no one wants to listen.