Quitters Inc.

Morrison’s counselor at Quitters, Inc., Vic Donatti, is the story’s primary antagonist. Characterized as a sadistic psychopath, he is often described using terms intended to evoke a sense of barely controlled violence. Morrison notes Donatti’s “muddy homicidal look” (343) in one scene and a “smile that look[s] almost predatory” in another (334). Almost every description paints Donatti as physically imposing and either vaguely or explicitly dangerous. A self-described pragmatist, he relishes the opportunity to hurt and enjoys the philosophical cover to do so that his job provides. In many ways, he is a realistic version of King’s more fantastical monsters, a flat, static character who embodies and enacts horror and violence. Like a monster, he is a formidable force, physically and mentally mastering Morrison whenever given the opportunity.

Like any good monster, Donatti is the main driver of the narrative, pushing Morrison’s internal conflict forward as its propelling force. He is also the main avenue for King’s thematic exploration of the horror of pragmatism. A numbers man, Donatti is constantly quoting percentages to justify the cruelty he and his team inflict on their clients in the name of curing their addictions. He is a dark satire of behavioral psychology practices that were prevalent through the middle of the 20^th century.

Donatti does the most speaking in the story and is characterized by a mix of self-description and sudden, explosive action. He is well-spoken and composed, often hiding violence behind implied threats and euphemisms. Both his name and physical description evoke the tropes around mob imagery that come to characterize Quitters, Inc. as an organization, and his ever-present smile lends to the unsettling and ultimately horrific tone of the scenes he shares with Morrison.

Cindy Morrison is a relatively flat secondary character who spends little time on the page but has a huge impact on the story. She is the primary subject of the story’s thematic interest in the tension between addiction and love. Her presence looms over the narrative once Donatti’s threat has been leveled, as concern for her well-being gradually supplants Morrison’s compulsive thoughts about his next cigarette.

Almost all of her characterization is thin and functional at first, with her actions centering on her role as a cautiously hopeful support for Morrison’s recovery. There is little sense of who she is or what she wants aside from her obvious happiness at Morrison’s resolve to give up the habit; similarly, Donatti instrumentalizes her to motivate Morrison’s behavior, creating a world in which women are tools to allow men to self-actualize rather than characters in their own right. This flat characterization ultimately serves the story; the reader and Morrison alike assume that she’ll be angry and unforgiving after she is kidnapped and tortured, setting up the ironic twist at the story’s climax.

McCann is a secondary character and early foil to the protagonist. His chance meeting with Morrison is the story’s inciting incident and sends Morrison down the path that leads to Donatti and the Quitters, Inc. program. Like Morrison, his name is a reference to the tobacco industry: McCann, the ad agency for Philip Morris. As with Morrison, this reference implies that cigarettes are a fundamental part of McCann’s identity.

Through Morrison’s limited third-person perspective, McCann is characterized as jovial, outgoing, “awesomely fit,” and successful, the quintessential gregarious ad man. This is contrasted with Morrison, who observes McCann with cautious jealousy. However, the reveal of Mrs. McCann’s missing finger at the end undercuts McCann’s successful image, as he is struggling to maintain Quitters, Inc.’s expectations off the page.