Perry

Perry, flattered to be the subject of this sermon, had let Dick read it, and Dick, who took a dim view of Willie-Jay, had called the letter ' just more of Billy Grahmancracker's hooey,' adding, 'Faggots of scorn! He's the faggot.' Of course, Perry had expected this reaction, and secretly he welcomed it, for his friendship with Dick, whom he had scarcely known until his final few months in Lansing, was an outgrowth of, and counterbalance to, the intensity of his admiration for the chaplain's clerk... All the same, Dick was full of fun, and he was shrewd, a realist, he 'cut through things' there were no clouds in his head or straw in his hair... He was not critical of Perry's exotic aspirations; he was willing to listen, catch fire, share with him those visions of 'guaranteed treasure' lurking in Mexican seas, Brazilian jungles. (Capote 44)


This passage from Perry's perspective specifies the relationship between him and Dick. It is important to understand Perry's view of Dick; How they interact and deal with each other affects their relationship.

Perry's outlook of Dick is as crude and simple minded. Dick is "full of fun, and he [is] shrewd, a realist". Obviously he doesn't take Dick seriously as a mature opinion. Perry admired Willie-Jay, but "expected this reaction" of adolescence from Dick. There are some positives to Dick though. He has no "clouds in his head," and is "willing to listen" to Perry's schemes. These two features allow them to get along so well. Perry needs a willing person, who will follow him on the "Mexican seas [or] Brazilian jungles" adventures he comes up with. Dick is this person for Perry. In the story, they have come up with a plan to do something. Though their intentions are not clear to the reader yet, a scheme is certainly in play.

Both men seem to complete each other's needs. If one is lying to the other, they both believe it. For Perry, Dick is the essential person in his venture. If they are lying to one another, their scheme will fall apart. Trust can be the ruin of a relationship if it is falsely based.