Without Merit

Sagan goes beyond the role of Merit’s love interest by integrating himself into the Voss/Finney family. Sagan comes to live at Dollar Voss after his grandmother passes away. He is Honor’s close friend, and he works for Barnaby while attending college and apprenticing to be a tattoo artist. After the novel’s events, he moves to live with Utah in the Vosses’ previous home. Sagan helps to care for Moby, writing him a story and encouraging him to draw. His presence in the house proves to be a positive influence on all of the characters, including Wolfgang. He encourages forgiveness and reconciliation among the Voss/Finney family members and helps the parents and siblings see things from differing perspectives.

Sagan’s tragic family backstory gives him a unique, nonjudgmental perspective while living among the complicated Voss family relationships. The Syrian civil war forced Sagan to separate from his family during his youth. Seven years later, he still fears his mother, father, and little sister are dead or stuck in a refugee camp with no means of communication. Merit no longer takes her family for granted upon learning about Sagan’s situation. However, Sagan tells Merit not to dismiss her family’s issues as trivial. He is a foil for Merit because he also struggles with a difficult family situation, but he does not become judgmental. He is not a dynamic character because he does not change over the course of the narrative; rather, he supports Merit and helps her on her coming-of-age journey.

Utah is Merit’s older brother. Because the age gap between the three older Voss siblings is so small, they are all high school seniors. Utah controls his day-to-day life as much as he can, adhering to a strict diet and exercise regimen and maintaining perfect grades at school. Merit notes, “Utah doesn’t like spontaneity. […] Utah does not expect the unexpected” (21). He relates to Honor and is close to her, demonstrating a mostly indifferent attitude toward Merit’s sarcasm and personal attacks.

Utah is gay, although his sexuality is something he doesn’t speak freely about with his family: He experienced bullying in his adolescence after coming out to one of his close friends. This incident caused Utah to feel shame and motivated him to seek a sense of normalcy. Utah forced Merit to kiss him in an attempt to take control of his sexuality, and this incident heavily damaged Utah and Merit’s relationship. It was also a source of trauma for Merit. Utah changes throughout the novel by opening up to his family members, Moby included, and sharing his perspective. He recognizes his extreme mistake with how he abused Merit and commits himself to being a more trustworthy and loving sibling.

Honor is Merit’s twin sister. Though the girls are identical, Honor is more outgoing and has more dating experience than Merit. Like Utah, Honor thrives academically and maintains control over her daily schedule. Because Honor seems to thrive in the same environment in which Merit feels she is drowning, she does not relate well to Merit and feels more kinship with Utah.

Two years before the novel’s opening, Honor’s boyfriend, Kirk, died suddenly and tragically. This traumatic loss deeply affected Honor, and she now seeks out relationships with young men experiencing critical illnesses. Merit judged this as a macabre obsession, but Honor values the time shared with people at the end of their lives; she knows she comforts those facing unspeakable tragedy, and these relationships help her heal and honor Kirk’s memory.

Honor is disappointed in Merit for not telling her about Utah’s sexual molestation; she wishes she could have supported Merit instead of keeping her distance. After the girls fight, Honor and Merit grow closer as sisters. Like Sagan, Honor is a foil for Merit as someone who does not grow throughout the narrative and helps Merit discover her place in the family.

Barnaby is the father of Merit, Honor, Utah, and Moby. His first wife, Vicky Voss, lives in the basement of Dollar Voss, and Barnaby continues to have a loving, intimate relationship with her even though he remarries. Barnaby and his second wife, Victoria, share a quarter of Dollar Voss, and while their marriage and living situation is nontraditional, the couple tries to support each other and their children. Barnaby struggles with losing Vicky to her mental illness and essentially living as a single father until meeting Victoria. For this reason, he feels grateful for Victoria’s love and support.

Avoidance of complex and emotional conversations is Barnaby’s main trait. He believes lying to his children is better than telling them hard truths, and he would rather delay difficult discussions indefinitely. For example, after Merit attempts suicide, Barnaby says, “It’s late. We’ll discuss everything tomorrow. Everyone go to bed” (214). Although Barnaby checks on Merit the following day, he does little to address the accusations made in Merit’s letter. Only when his children insist on confrontation does Barnaby become more open in his communication. Although Barnaby’s secrets and lies are well-intended, he realizes they have had negative effects, especially on Merit. Barnaby is a catalyst because his actions—such as buying Dollar Voss, lying about Vicky, and revealing the truth—bring about major changes in the plot.

Victoria is Barnaby’s second wife and mother to Moby; she is Honor, Merit, and Utah’s stepmother and Luck Finney’s older sister. Before the novel’s denouement, the older Voss children act disrespectfully toward Victoria, doing little to hide their resentment. Victoria sacrifices much daily to support Barnaby, hide the truth about Vicky, and care for her child and stepchildren.

Victoria’s parenting style resembles Barnaby’s in that she prefers to lie to Moby to avoid difficult issues. Merit observes, “Victoria hates telling Moby the truth. He asks all the normal questions about life and Victoria makes up the most bizarre answers. She’ll do anything to protect him from the truth” (59-60). Moby asks questions about death, sex, and what the word “bastard” means, and Victoria fears that the answers will upset him. Victoria changes alongside her family members to be more candid with her communication, especially with Moby.

Victoria is a foil for Vicky because she is the kind of mother Merit wishes Vicky could be: She cooks all the family’s meals and is supportive and present. Only at the novel’s end do the older Voss children realize how unfair they have been to Victoria, and their acceptance of Victoria mirrors their acceptance of Vicky.

Vicky is Barnaby’s first wife and the mother to Merit, Honor, and Utah. Vicky gets into a terrible car accident while pregnant with Merit and Honor, and this event marks the beginning of Vicky’s mental health issues. Vicky has agoraphobia (the fear of leaving a safe space), depression, and other unidentified conditions. As a result, Vicky cannot be physically and emotionally present for her children. She never leaves the basement of Dollar Voss, even after Merit attempts suicide. Like Barnaby, she lies about her condition, taking video calls with her friends but avoiding stressful types of communication like speaking with Merit’s teachers about her absences from school. Vicky goes along with the story that she has cancer, mostly out of shame and a desire to spare her children’s feelings.

Vicky remains a static character throughout most of the narrative; however, her children’s understanding helps her consider leaving the basement and becoming a bigger part of their lives.