Topdog/Underdog

A black man in his early thirties, Booth is the younger of two brothers and the perpetual underdog. He is intensely jealous of his brother, Lincoln, and views his brother as an obstacle to his vision of success. As a kid, Booth tried hard to emulate Lincoln by joining in the hustle of Lincoln’s successful but illegal three-card monte game but was mostly a hindrance, earning a reputation among Lincoln’s crew as a liability. Now that Booth is an adult and Lincoln no longer throws cards, Booth sees an opportunity to take Lincoln’s place. But still, he isn’t nearly as talented as his brother. Booth embodies the pent-up frustration and aggression that arises from an inability to progress and advance. He has his own illegal talent, but unlike three-card monte, his shoplifting is done secretly and does not provide an opportunity to perform masculinity for an audience. Therefore, Booth forcefully expresses his masculinity in other ways. He is sexually aggressive and violent, carrying a gun on his body at all times. 

Booth treats any type of disempowerment or rejection as emasculation, and he desperately fights emasculation. His girlfriend, Grace, rejects and humiliates him, and he responds by killing her.