Richard Pine (formerly Pinzetti) is the protagonist and narrator of “Survival Type.” Even though his isolation and physical and mental degradation propel the story, his motivations and personality remain unchanged throughout the narrative. He is a round character, as he encompasses complex and multifaceted identities, but he reveals himself to be deeply unsympathetic and unlikable. He is more than the traditional antihero; he is the antagonist of his own narrative. He is evidently clever, talented, hard-working, eloquent, and he can be funny. However, his account reveals deliberate violence, bullying, sadism, drug dealing and smuggling, abuse of medical trust, fraud, and racism. Pine’s life is a story in ambition, self-aggrandizement, and criminality. His narrative is imbued with misanthropy: He is insulting about everyone and everything, consistently lacks empathy, and seeks to blame others for his failings.

Pine is an Italian American from New York. Although he frames his early life as one of negativity and victimhood, through another lens, it would be a success story. He becomes a star ball player and excels at school, winning a full scholarship to train in medicine, joining a fraternity at university.