Character Analysis

Judge, Court Officers, Stenographer, Guards, Asa Briggs, and the Prison Guards

Does Asa Briggs and the Prison Guards sound like a band name to you, or is that just us? Okay, maybe it's just us.

Here's the thing about this cast of miscellaneous and relatively minor characters: They are what they are, and they do their jobs. They are also people, though, and in their downtime, we see that. They joke around with each other; they ask about Little League games; the prison guards even joke about a money pot on the verdict.

They aren't just people, though—they're free people. So while Steve lives each day in a guilt-filled, terrified, confused state of existence, the folks in charge of his destiny seem to care more about "barbecue and a softball game" (2.48), little daily luxuries that feel light years away for our main man. Though they're all often in the same room together, there couldn't be more space between them.