Rumfoord

In chapter 9, the only form of direct characterization other than Billy's passivity is used. The other man in Pilgrim's hospital room, Professor Bertram Copeland Rumfoord, is described as "a hateful old man, conceited and cruel. He often said to the [hospital staff], in one way or another, that people who were weak deserved to die." The reason direct characterization is not used in the book is simply because Vonnegut did not view characters as important to the story. They were "machines", in a very Tralfamadorian sense. Vonnegut uses characters simply as pawns in his story. They exist simply to serve a purpose, allowing Vonnegut to explain his views and recount his war experiences in a narrative form.