Wallace Price, the protagonist, is a high-profile attorney who cares about little but his job before his death from an unexpected heart attack. His employees describe him as a “cold and calculating” (13) boss who is not afraid of intimidating or frightening people to get what he wants. Even his looks are described as “sharp,” “pale,” and “gaunt” (30); Wallace was once mistaken for the Grim Reaper at a Halloween party. Only four people show up to his funeral, and rather than mourn him, they agree that he was “an asshole.” Once he is dead, Wallace realizes that he grossly mistreated the people in his life. One night, Wallace realizes that he was lonely: “I didn’t see it, then [...] I had privilege. I lived a life of privilege. I had everything I thought I wanted and now…” (211). This implies that all the luxuries he had in life paled in comparison to the companionship he has in the tea shop.

Wallace is a dynamic character and changes significantly throughout the course of the novel. Death has a humbling effect on Wallace, as without the privileges he was afforded in life, Wallace is left with nothing but himself.