Lethem shapes protagonist and wannabe detective Lionel Essrog within the literary tradition of urban crime fiction that began in the 1920s and 1930s. At moments throughout the narrative, Lionel acknowledges elements of that tradition and his own familiarity with the genre’s books and movies. Much like classic hard-boiled detectives such as Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, and Mike Hammer, Lionel Essrog combines street-smart savvy and idealistic, even romantic naivete. He lives in a shadowy world where any ideals are inevitably rendered ironic and unworkable. By the end, Lionel sheds his innocence and moves into awareness: He comes to see that clear sight is not the same as insight. 

Like those iconic detectives, Lionel is a loner and misfit, living apart from the world. He comes to us an orphan—we are never given the backstory of his childhood or how he came to be in the home for boys. Of course, his Tourette’s, with its uncontrollable verbal tics and unfocused physical gyrations, has further alienated him. Lionel is alone and isolated, in search for the validation of family and the possibility of love. At one point, he even randomly phones the three Essrogs listed in the Manhattan telephone directory, desperately reaching out to find some sense of belonging.