The Adding Machine

Physically described as “thin, sallow, undersized, and partially bald.” Zero is a follower who, as the play begins, enjoys his job as an accountant, which he has held for the past twenty-five years. Zero is low on the socio-economic ladder and lacks ambition, but he has friends, a wife, and–as the narrative opens–a job. He is most comfortable while doing repetitive tasks. Conservative in his actions and morals, he fantasizes about doing many shocking things: delighting in the suffering of others; obsessing over women’s bodies; and possessing a desire to hurt and watch others being killed. He is quick to judge others for their actions and reactions, but changes to his own lifestyle bring out a violent nature in him. Zero’s inner life is misogynistic, racially biased, and perverted. Even after he kills his boss and is put to death, Zero craves order; he can barely bring himself to take off his shoes and dance in the Elysian Fields in the afterlife.

Mrs. Zero is Zero’s wife. She is described as “forty-five, sharp-featured, [with] gray streaks in her hair.” Ambitious to a fault, Mrs. Zero expresses her desire for upward mobility almost constantly to her husband.