Character Analysis
Paul is Lydia's son and Carmen's soon to be step-brother, and Carmen hates him for these reasons alone. She is rude to him and wants to cause problems between him and his girlfriend—whom she nicknames "Skeletor"—but when Paul tells Carmen she is "antagonistic," it still hits a nerve. Kudos to Paul for telling Carmen how it is.
Paul makes Carmen take a closer look at herself, in addition to helping her realize that Albert isn't half bad, especially in comparison to his own father who is in an alcohol treatment facility. Paul's problems seem so much worse that Carmen's, but he seems to handle them so much better, and he helps Carmen become more mature because of this. When Carmen arrives at the wedding, he dances with her and tells her, "you make your dad happy" (23.16)—and we get the feeling that Carmen might like having Paul in her life after all.