Jake Blount is a bizarre looking man: short, but with long arms, large hands, and a moustache that appears oddly detached from his somewhat distorted face. He is as prone to drinking himself into a stupor at Biff Brannon's café, where he often goes into a frustrated rant about socialism. Jake is passionate and occasionally violent and feels he has found a confidant in the deaf-mute John Singer. He came into town passionate about a workers' revolt, but gets a job at a local carnival, rather than one of the factories or mills.