| “ | If I manage to trick one of the rich folks who got an invitation and sneak into the Runorata casino event, then I’ll charge straight through to the end. Even if it means risking my life. | ” |
–Nader, 1935-B Dr. Feelgreed | ||
Nader Schasschule (ネイダー・シャズクール Neidā Shazukūru) is a con artist who led a failed coup against Lemur leader Goose Perkins in 1931. He attaches himself to Eve Genoard in 1935 in order to worm his way into Ra's Lance, where he plans to challenge Huey Laforet and the Runorata Family.
Appearance[]
Nader has naturally blond hair, but by 1935 he has dyed it black and hides his blond roots with a hat. His attempted murder in 1931 leaves him with visible burns on his face, neck, and left hand, and costs him his right hand. He now wears a realistic metal prosthetic in place of his right hand, and typically conceals his burns with natural makeup.
Personality[]
Nader has craved strength ever since his childhood pledge to protect his friend Sonia, though he does not rediscover his original aspirations of heroism until he is an adult suffering the consequences of a life of crime. He loses his way as an adolescent, when, having come to desire strength for the sake of doing whatever he pleases, he uses his silver tongue to ingratiate himself with powerful men of the underworld and leech his way up the underworld ladder. The more powerful the person whose pockets Nader plunders, the more cocky Nader becomes, believing himself capable of pulling off heists even greater than the last. This hubris nearly costs Nader his life in his early twenties, and earns him an enemy who portends his death.
Post-1931, Nader is moody, easily flustered, indecisive, and prone to negative thought spirals. He oscillates from abasement & paranoid angst to bursts of optimism & anger on his own behalf and back to hopelessness, haunted by his past and his broken promises; compared to the ideal self he envisioned himself becoming as a boy, he feels he has become a "loser" and "screwup." For all that Nader is desperate to change, he still catches himself lapsing into his old ways: he cannot help but entertain the prospect of flattering a person with means, beginning the leeching process anew; he certainly has yet to shake his habit of looking down on others, whether in judging Fred as a hypocrite or taking out his own insecurities on the tramps and homeless by deriding them as "washouts." However, Nader hastens to chastise himself when he notices his thoughts turn for the worse.
Nevertheless, Nader lacks the spine he once did and expresses constant discomfort with the dangerous crowd he has unwillingly fallen in with post-protective custody. His vivid imagination courts delusions when he is overwrought or in a highly paranoid state, which is often; Hilton's hostility and ubiquitous presence keeps him on perpetual edge, making him liable to flee on a moment's notice. This obvious fear of death is what endears him to Ladd Russo. Most desperate of all Nader's feelings is a desire to pinpoint when Nader's life 'went wrong'.
Nader often establishes personal goals that are predicated on fulfilling difficult conditions so that he has an excuse not to see those goals through. He is aware that he relies on excuses to protect him much as he has been relying on excuses throughout his entire life, from excuses to explain away his gambling failures to excuses intended to justify his life choices.
Chronology[]
Pre-1931[]
Nader was likely born around 1912 in a farming community on the outskirts of Chicago, Illinois, where he spent his boyhood tending his father's corn farm. He befriended his younger neighbor Sonia Bake prior to an incident in 1924 wherein he observed her carrying a heavy bag into the forest. His father, upon hearing of this, advised him to stay away from Sonia's family due to their odd behavior. Later that year, Nader promised Sonia that he would become a hero.
Nader then absconds his hometown to make a living as a silver-tongued con artist, leeching off strong individuals including gang leaders and small-fry mafia capos. He joins the Lemures shortly after his sixteenth birthday and bides his time for an opportunity to benefit himself by waiting on the Lemures' leader Goose Perkins "hand and foot." When the Lemures' master Huey Laforet is arrested on suspicion of plotting against the federal government, Nader assumes that Chané Laforet has died; he seizes the opportunity to contact Don Placido Russo of Chicago with a proposal to incite the Lemures into defecting to the Russo Family.
Placido agrees with the assurance that Nader will deliver on his promise by December 29, a day before the Lemures' are supposed to board and hijack the Flying Pussyfoot luxury express. Nader begins fomenting betrayal among the Lemures' ranks with his silver tongue and exerts intense, relentless pressure on the most indecisive members—such as Upham—until they cave. As an incentive to defect, he promises the potential traitors that defecting to the Russos will put them in a position to claim all of Chicago, especially now that Al Capone has been convicted for tax evasion. In essence, Nader intends to use the Lemures to takeover the Russo Family for his own ambition.
By the time the deadline approaches, Nader believes he has convinced all fifty Lemures to turn traitor. However, thirty of these Lemures—including Upham—report the brewing coup to Goose, who decides to quash the coup in one fell swoop.
1931[]
On December 29, 1931, Goose assembles all fifty Lemures in an abandoned factory south of Chicago and demands the suspected traitors step forward. Every single Lemur complies including Nader, who declares the traitors' intention to take over Chicago. At Goose's signal, the thirty loyal Lemures gun down the traitorous Lemures and turn their gun's muzzles on Nader. Nader pulls out his own handgun with his right hand, which Chané Laforet severs. Goose ties up Nader, welds the factory doors shut, orders some men to stop Nader's wrist from bleeding, and others to destroy the factory's vehicles. After the Lemures vacate the premises, Spike shoots a white box that causes the factory to explode.
Nader survives the blast by using his allies' corpses as shields but suffers life-threatening burns to his face, neck, and left hand. Fred, an ex-Great War doctor passing by, saves Nader's life. The burns will later permanently scar; for now, despite the freshness of his injures, Nader agrees to aid Victor Talbot's subordinates pursue the Lemures in exchange for a complete wipe of his criminal record. Thus do the police escort Nader to the Union station on December 30 in a bid to intercept the Flying Pussyfoot before it departs—and en route are attacked by vengeful Russos who believe that Nader has sold them out. A passerby risks his own life by springing to Nader's defense; Nader, reminded of his childhood promise to be a hero, protects the passerby by shooting one of the Russos.
The Flying Pussyfoot leaves a literal trail of bodies in its wake as it travels overnight from Union Station to Pennsylvania, and Nader accompanies the police in their trackside investigation. One of the bodies, Nader discovers, is crawling near-dead by the railroad. This is Goose, whom Nader handcuffs and gloats to about his police arrangement. His hate-filled taunts about the Lemures' failed cause and Goose's military shortcomings are the last words Goose ever hears.
Nader returns to the cornfields of his childhood in 1932 only to learn the same day that Sonia has left home. As disappointed as Nader is, his loneliness is tempered by his relief that Sonia is not there to see what a 'loser' he has become. He sleeps overnight in his family home only to wake and rush outside to find his barns and cornfields burning to the ground. When he returns to his room, he discovers a note from Hilton on his bed that reads, Why don't you tremble in your shoes like the traitor you are?
Horrified that one of Huey's messengers is stalking him, Nader sprints until he reaches hometown's main street. What safety in numbers he feels vanishes when a little girl—Hilton—threatens his life. He hightails it to the local police station, begs to be put under lock and key, and spends the next three years in protective custody.
1935[]
Ladd and Nader.
Nader is released in February outside a New Jersey prison alongside a certain ex-prisoner of Alcatraz. The ex-prisoner remarks that he does not recall seeing Nader in prison, but Nader claims that he saw the prisoner 'plenty.' The prisoner immediately calls Nader's bluff, though he is not particularly bothered by the lie, and introduces himself as Ladd Russo. Nader crumples to the ground and shamelessly pleads for his life, which unfortunately endears him to Ladd; Ladd hoists him to his feet and says their mutual Russo Family pariah status ought to make them pals—though Nader also reminds him of his childhood friend. He then harasses Nader into divulging his real name, which becomes further proof that Ladd has not heard of him.
Nevertheless, Nader clearly knows more about the Flying Pussyfoot than he cares to admit. Ladd talks about it with him while they walk, but soon whispers that they are being followed by two men in a car and at least three more who are pretending to converse at a street corner. After turning down a street, Ladd picks up a loose brick and hurls it at the offending car's windshield. He clambers onto the car's roof and pulls Nader up behind him with his natural hand; with his prosthetic, he punches through the roof and manhandles the driver. The car crashes into a wall, knocking its occupants out.
Nader and Ladd's merry men.
Ladd tows Nader to a nearby vehicle that Ladd is delighted to discover contains Shaft, Graham Specter, and Lua Klein. The rain, unbeknownst to Nader, washes off his burn-concealing makeup before Ladd hustles him into the car. While Shaft drives, Ladd catches up on four years' worth of family news, including the fact that Placido has been run out of Chicago and is likely deceased. Nader realizes in retrospect that he betrayed the Lemures because he was terrified of Huey; seizing power via the Russos had been the excuse he needed to get away. He reflects on what motivated him to become a conman—believing that to be the critical junction in his life—and how his desire for strength no matter its legitimacy transcended any care for legality. Through using the strength of others, by "taking their skin and wearing it as his own," he had convinced himself he would someday find true strength on his own.
Shortly after Ladd is told that his cousin is still alive, Shaft lets what he believes is a Runorata entourage of eight expensive cars, a large truck, and two motorcyclists overtake them on the road. He explains to Nader that the Runoratas have recently been making enemies due to cutting into a turf war between some of the local Families. Rumor has it that the Runoratas plan to build a secret casino in their hotel in New York City.
Ladd proposes that they go gamble in a casino that his prison buddy Firo Prochainezo claimed to manage. Graham, who has been to the Martillo Family casino before, provides directions. However, when Shaft offers to drive Ladd to the clinic his childhood friend works at, Ladd hands Nader a wad of cash and asks him to warm up the roulette on his behalf, adding that he still has questions about the Flying Pussyfoot. Although Ladd emphasizes he will not chase Nader if Nader absconds with the money, as he considers Nader a friend, Nader is convinced Ladd will kill him if he does not comply.
Once Nader enters the casino and spies Firo, he briefly considers using Firo to obtain a foothold within the Martillos. He scolds himself for this old line of thinking and tells himself he will abandon the underworld after today. For now, he spends ten minutes appraising the gamblers and games before deciding to try roulette. Melvi Dormentaire intercepts him by inquiring into his well-being, startling him terribly. As an apology for the fright, Melvi hands Nader the cheapest token for the slot machines and advises him to think of it as a lucky token.
Confronted by Firo.
Nader inserts the token into a slot machine and wins the jackpot. Tokens and music spill forth from the slot machine in celebration, which Melvi adds to by leading the onlookers in a round of applause—though he slips away by the time Firo emerges from his office to congratulate Nader and ask who introduced to him to the casino. Aware that he is under suspicion, Nader freely names Ladd with the hope that this connection will save him. However, Firo's smile freezes cold, and Firo's mood worsens still when an upstairs screech from Jacuzzi Splot heralds yet another of Firo's 'friends': Christopher Shaldred, who descends into the casino grin-first.
Not long afterward, a cheater whom Firo had previously ejected descends the stairs Tommy gun-first and fires rapid-shot at the ceiling. A woman in a black suit races down after him and knocks him out with minimal aplomb. Firo apologizes to the room and warns the patrons that the gunshots may have attracted the police, causing the patrons to scramble for the exit. Nader takes advantage of the commotion to sneak over to the exchange counter and cash in his chips, which Firo notices after the fact. Firo's attempt to probe Nader about Ladd is interrupted when a newly-arrived Graham enters a combative stand-off with Christopher. Ladd enters the casino with Lua soon after, and is so impressed by Nader's winnings that he asks Nader if he used to be a cardsharp. The epithet catches Firo's attention in a damning way. Nader desperately insists he is no cheater; the honor of biggest Chicago troublemaker goes to Pamela.
Jacuzzi, erstwhile Chicago troublemaker himself, enters the casino a few minutes later. Ladd asks him if he intends to fulfill his 1931 promise to "make the Russos pay;' Jacuzzi confirms that he does, stunning Nader. Another jackpot clamor draws everyone's eyes to Melvi who, accompanied by his bodyguard, has just won on the second slot machine. He wins jackpot on all the rest. Cacophony and chaos ensue, affording Nader the opportunity to flee upstairs with his winnings cradled in his jacket—and, he thinks, the opportunity to change as a person. The sight of a conversing boy and girl on the outside pavement, however, reminds him of his childhood friendship with and promise to Sonia. Guilt-ridden, Nader tentatively decides clear his conscience by returning the money to the casino.
Annie confronts him before he can re-enter the building, revealing herself to be Hilton. With a shriek, Nader bolts down the street as little more than a bundle of survival instinct and primal fear—until the extraordinary sight of several seaplanes flying overhead tips him into delirium. Tears well in his eyes as he silently begs for someone to tell him what to do.
Eventually, Nader joins a group of homeless men who are returning from a day's work of construction on the Ra's Lance hotel to a lodging facility. Nader lies about being poor to secure himself a room there, then leaves to buy a pillow from a nearby store. He returns to find his room has cheap furnishings and no insulation from his neighbors' constant din, but these accommodations are still better than his last: a dimly-lit, flammable hive of thugs and prostitutes. Whether Nader himself is any better is another matter, as he has once again lied in spite of his desire to reform.
Such miserable thoughts only worsen while Nader stuffs his emptied pillow with the casino earnings; he supposes that his vow of heroism to Sonia was obviously a scam in retrospect, as much as he wants to believe he did not mean to lie at the time. Still, no matter his intentions then, he is the farthest cry from a hero: Mr. failed, clichéd conman, failed traitor of terrorists, failed lowlife hiding from a zealot in a poorhouse. Even his memories fail to be a safe refuge: his attempts to recall Sonia's face blur into Annie's murderous expression, causing him to tumble off his bed. He curses Hilton and the Lemures and wishes that they would leave him alone. Nader's spiraling is finally interrupted by his downstairs neighbor Roy Maddock knocking at the door, having heard Nader thud against his room's ceiling. Only once Roy introduces himself as the facility's assistant manager does Nader open his door, introducing himself to Roy as Goose.
Hunger and a tantalizing smell coax Nader into the downstairs cafeteria a few hours later. Roy fetches both of them chili breakfast, explaining that it is included in the rent. While the men eat, they discuss the facility's owner Fred, a few of the more charitable large mafia families, Nader's prosthetic, hand and Roy's past as a dope addict. Nader opaquely says he earned his facial burns as the one-time target of a mafia outfit. Roy reassures him that Doctor Fred does not discriminate against lodgers; moreover, not only do the existing lodgers adhere to a tacit 'no-snitch' credo, they will even 'go to bat' with any mafia henchmen who might come looking for Nader.
Nader threatens Upham at forkpoint.
Nader internally mocks Doctor Fred's hypocrisy over his surprisingly delicious chili, which reminds him of his hometown and kinder times. Disgusted with himself for thinking so dismissively of someone providing him food, yet perplexed by his overcompensatory self-criticism, he makes a point of effusively praising the food. Roy calls over the shift cook and introduces Nader to him as Goose. Already regretting the name choice, Nader regrets it further when the cook looks surprised and asks him if he is Nader Schasschule. Finally, Nader places the cook as Upham, one of the first Lemures whom Nader had approached about the coup.
Nader shoots to his feet, presses the tines of a fork to Upham's neck, and accuses Upham of being sent by Hilton to kill him, as he can fathom no other possible reason for a Lemur to be here. Certainly not that Upham quit the Lemures, which Upham insists he did. Roy's attempts to defuse the situation similarly fall on deaf ears; Nader is so far gone, so consumed by paranoia, that he is halfway to convincing himself it would be safer for him to kill Upham and earn a ticket to prison. Just as he presses the fork into Nader's flesh, the diner Laz Smith presses the barrel of a gun against Nader's temple, irked by the disruption of his meal. Alkins—another diner—smashes the tension and a liquor bottle across Nader's face, causing him to drop the fork and to the ground in pain. His last thought before he passes out is that he will never be able to become a hero.
A nightmare ensues, beginning with Sonia asking Nader when he will become her hero, then about the Lemures aiming Tommy guns at his back. The scenery melts into a vast wasteland slashed by a railway that passes under Sonia's swing-set. At Nader's feet crawls Goose, blood flowing from his torn, dangling tongue; innately, Nader understands that Goose bit it off in order to commit suicide. With perfect articulation, Goose intimates that Nader knows that Sonia is in his way: without Sonia, he would have no promises to keep and far less guilt to nurse. Sonia's swing shudders as two opposite trains appear on each end of the horizon, hurtling toward each other on a nonstop collision course that ends with Sonia at its epicenter. Goose hisses that, if only Sonia did not exist, Nader could continue doing what he has only ever done: take advantage of others for his own benefit.
Nader kicks Goose away and dashes toward Sonia, her face blurred save for her smile. Goose's taunts ring in his years: "It's pointless. You won't make it in time. You're only pretending that you did all you could...then, isn't a con man like you just deceiving himself? You've done all you can, Comrade. You just lost to fate." He screams for Goose to hush and reaches for Sonia with his right hand, believing he will finally remember her face upon contact—but he finally remembers he has no right hand a second after a silver flash obliterates it. Chané retracts her bloody knife and viciously thrusts it at Nader's throat in the same moment the trains converge on him.
Nader awakes with a scream at his throat and Roy and Upham at his bedside, shortly after midday. Roy has now heard about his history with the Lemures from Upham, who tells Nader that he abandoned the Lemures on the Flying Pussyfoot and later went on the lam. He swears he knows nothing about any Hilton. Though Nader still harbors doubts, he apologizes about the fork business and says the two of them are now even, given that Upham had betrayed him to Goose. Roy assures Nader that he will not be evicted. Nader describes Annie's clothing and asks if it sounds familiar; Roy says it sounds like the waitresses' uniform at the Martillo-owned restaurant Alveare, another unexpected connection that only unsettles Nader further.
Roy advises Nader to think of him and Upham as his friends, but Nader's thoughts still linger on Sonia; the nightmare has Nader worried that Hilton might have hurt Sonia to hurt him. As he struggles with deciding whether or not he should search for her, he notices bandages wrapped around his scar. Roy says that Fred has patched him up as a free follow-up service, chiding Nader for pretending not to know the good doctor. Nader stiffens with realization moments before one more connection strides into the room: the same Doctor Fred who saved his life in 1931. So unexpected is the reunion that Nader openly cries, hoping it is a sign of better things to come. Ladd comes into view on ominous cue.
Thirty minutes later finds Ladd and Nader alone. Ladd, who has confirmed that his friend works at the clinic that Fred oversees, dismisses Nader's concerns over the casino winnings. Nader finally confesses how he was involved with the Flying Pussyfoot and Huey, though he does not have the answer that Ladd was hoping for all along: an answer to where Huey is hiding. Lighthearted conversation between Graham, Isaac Dian, and Miria Harvent filters into Nader's room from the hallway, causing Nader to become uncharacteristically sentimental. Isaac and Miria's carefree attitude reminds him of Sonia's own.
Harsher sounds belying a commotion beckon Nader and company to the cafeteria, where Luck Gandor is attempting to diffuse a stand-off between Smith and Maria Barcelito. Roy informs Nader that Luck is one of the facility's mafioso investors. Although Roy speaks well of Luck, Nader is privately aghast at having become entangled with yet another gang. Luck briefs Smith and Alkins on the Runoratas' upcoming party at Ra's Lance, with which Luck says the terrorist Huey might be involved. Huey's name hooks the attention of both Nader and Ladd, the latter of whom immediately offers his services to Luck.
After Ladd and his entourage take their leave, Nader determines that he must "confirm the flow" of the current: a practice he has frequently resorted to whenever he finds himself fleeing from an important decision. He decides on the spot that he too will attend the party to somehow crush Huey, thereafter returning triumphant to Sonia as a hero. He asks Roy if he knows any rich people with links to the Runoratas; Roy replies that he knows Eve Genoard and that Eve lives in New Jersey, but not her address. This is almost a relief, for Nader could use it as an excuse to give up immediately, except Isaac and Miria do happen to know the address; they have cased the Genoard joint so many times as to recall it perfectly.
Five hours later, Nader travels to New Jersey courtesy of Shaft in an expensive tuxedo, carrying with him a briefcase full of cash. It is on the verge of nightfall when he arrives at the Genoard manor and Benjamin ushers him inside. With formal, loquacious grace, Nader introduces himself as a professional gambler, shows off by riffle shuffling a deck of cards, and explains that he wants to test his gambling skills at the Runoratas' casino party. He opens the briefcase and promises that he will not only bankroll Eve, he will give her all his earnings if he wins extravagantly. Therefore, he has come to request that Eve make him her official 'plus one' at the party.
Nader and Eve.
Inwardly shambolic, Nader is shocked when Eve takes him at his word and agrees to his request in earnest, albeit with a condition: in lieu of his earnings, Eve would like him to instead persuade her brother Dallas to return home. Consigned to the eddies of fate, Nader has little choice but to wrap up the negotiations. Upon returning to the facility in the dead of night, Nader collapses at a cafeteria table and asks a nearby Roy why someone like Eve could so easily trust—or someone like Roy so easily care about—someone like himself. They discuss Nader's preoccupation with heroism and how it redoubled when the passerby in 1931 proved that anyone ordinary can become a hero. Nader curses his own nothingness before bursting into sobs, feeling the gulf between him and the passerby all the more impassible. Roy questions whether Nader really needs to become a hero in the first place, positing that the salient issue is not heroism itself, but the person for whom Nader wants to be a hero. Rather than trying to take on the likes of terrorists, Roy says, perhaps Nader should save the likes of the starving, the poor, the cold.
Nader mutters, "A real hero would be too busy to save guys like us."
- Ra's Lance
On the first day of the casino party, Nader and Eve seat themselves at a 'classy' restaurant on the third floor of Ra's Lance. Despite the fact that they are indoors, Nader attempts to conceal himself from Hilton by keeping on his heavy scarf and hat—lying to Eve that he is concealing his 'tells' from other gamblers. He suggests they spend today assessing the playfield and inquiring into Eve's brother, which leads Eve to thank him for indulging her selfishness. Nader resolves not to judge Dallas without meeting him, but guiltily avoids Eve's gaze and casts his own toward a window. Outside it, a bird—one of Hilton's vessels—glares at Nader with what he imagines is murderous intent.
Nader spends the day just as he intended, observing the flow of money between the bookkeepers, winners and losers at the gambling tables while keeping a lookout for Dallas. The flow is altogether mundane, save for an odd couple placing high bets regardless of the money flow, and one woman who inconspicuously maintains a winning streak. Nader watches her closely until he is certain she is a h ustler. When she exits the building at close to midnight, Nader confronts her near the harbor to implicate her in cheating and suggest that they work together, once again slipping back into his con artist ways.
The woman asks if he wants money without acknowledging the implicit cheating accusation. Nader, slipping ever further, instead wants to know who her sponsor is, imagining that he might ingratiate himself with them to acquire more power with which he can oppose Huey and his sects. He snaps back to reality when the woman gasps with recognition at his real name. Presuming she works for Huey, Nader prepares to abandon Eve and abscond with his jackpot winnings—but he whirls around when the woman asks if he is friends with Sonia. Another female voice calls to him from the darkness: "Found you, traitor..."
Nader croaks Hilton's name, looking frantically about for the speaker. Delighted, Hilton invites him to call her Leeza. Nader follows the hustler's gaze to the preternatural sight of manifold flocks of birds perched atop buildings and powerlines and aloft in the sky. All are staring directly at him. Hilton declares that she is not the she who will kill Nader tonight.
Chané charges toward Nader and kicks off the nearest wall so that she can better plunger her knife into his throat. Nader knocks the blade away with his prosthetic hand at the last second and tries to run, but Chané is upon him in an instant. A small, timed bomb arcs across the street; Leeza intercepts it with a bird before it reaches Chané, sacrificing the bird to the ensuing explosion. The hustler flees while two to three egg bombs follow their predecessor and explode, releasing smoke onto the street. The ringing in Nader's ears clashes with Leeza's futile shouts for Rail, the suspected perpetrator, to emerge from hiding.
Instead, Rail grabs Nader by his false hand to lead him through the smoke to safety. Rail asks if he is all right while Czeslaw, the boy whom Nader saw conversing outside Firo's casino, scolds Rail for being reckless. Dismissing Czes' concern, Rail asks Shaft, who stands a little ways down the road, how he knew about the birds.
As the smoke billows out, someone grabs Nader (whose hearing has been shot thanks to the bombs) by his false hand and leads him through the fumes. As Nader's hearing clears up, he hears Rail (the child who'd led him to safety) ask if he's all right, and another child (Czes) immediately scolds Rail for reckless behavior. Rail dismiss Czes' concern; after all, Leeza is merely a flock of birds. Calling out to Shaft, who is standing a little ways down the road, Rail asks him how he knew about the birds in the first place. Nader recognizes Shaft as one of Ladd's men—more like one of Graham's, Shaft sighs, apologetically remarking on Nader's ever-increasing pile of troubles. Unaware that Shaft is Sham and that Rail threw the bombs, Nader internally screams and wonders what he gotten himself into.
Events of 1935-D not yet added. Click edit to add content.
Trivia[]
- Though Nader is a con artist, he has only 'conned' a rich person with an investment scam once.
- His basic scheme was as follows:
- "He would find someone powerful and use their strength as his own, deceiving them and gaining their favor, until he destroyed that same organization in favor of another. And once he felt that he had gone as far as he could go in the next group, he would look outside for an even stronger group and sell himself to them without a hint of hesitation."
- Nader appears to have admired the gambler Wyatt Earp and famed outlaw Jesse James in his youth, as he uses them as examples of heroes to compare himself with when he makes his childhood promise to Sonia.
- Nader supposedly has good intuition to match his silver tongue. His choice to ignore his intuition in favor of colluding with Placido causes his life to go South.
- It is possible that Nader's hometown was a German farming community, as he and Sonia both have German names.