Known as “Mitch” to many of the individuals he profiles in the book, Mitchell Duneier serves as not only the author, but the lens through which the men of the street are viewed and understood to the reader. His interactions with the men on the street and his interpretations of them are presented in transcripts of conversations and Duneier’s own analysis of each situation that arises in the book. Duneier is a middle-aged, white, Jewish professor of sociology. His life circumstances and background differ in nearly every way from the vendors, panhandlers and scavengers who form the backbone of Sidewalk. The privilege Duneier is afforded as a white male comes across in numerous instances throughout the book, such as in encounters with police. This leads to occasional challenges in perceiving his subjects’ lives, such as when Hakim wonders how Duneier will write about his life: “Can I expect Mitch, as a white sociologist, to understand why that experience led me to work as book vendor on Sixth Avenue in the first place?” (321).

Despite the differences between the author and his subjects on the basis of race, education and class, Duneier is able to bridge that gap and build enough of a rapport with the vendors and sidewalk dwellers to paint a picture of this informal economy.