Richard Trager

Trager is a very upbeat and friendly man, always cracking jokes and never losing his composure (With the exception of his coming to terms with Miles' attempted escape, during which he screams out in dismayed rage). However, this masks his true persona: a sadistic murderous psychopath who takes great delight in torturing virtually anyone he comes across. His insane mutterings and notes reveal he is obsessed with making money, believing the only thing that really matters is making profit, and has a demented fascination with biology. He soothes both of these obsessions with his torturous occupation, learning about biology by cutting up his victims and gaining money by selling the severed parts. While he seems to maintain his polite and upper-class personality even when torturing Miles, he mentally breaks upon discovering Miles' escape, screaming profanity filled rants and yelling that he cannot stand "quitters", before regaining his composure and entering a stalking state.

Doctor Trager, much like the rest of the asylum's inhabitants, is a sadistic and mass-murdering psychopath, but his psyche and mental ability appears to operate in a highly functional way that proves he still has a grasp of reality, even if only slight. Because of this, he is more than capable of thinking, planning, and other things, such as tricking Miles into entering the dumbwaiter so he can gain access to him.

Additionally, he is capable of both intelligent and coherent speech, speaking to Miles in a friendly tone and addressing him mockingly as "buddy." He either enjoys pretending to be a surgeon or has been driven to believe that he actually is one, and has a habit of collecting body parts from his "patients", e.g. a tongue because he was "tired of licking his own stamps", and Miles' ring and index fingers because he desired to sell them.

Trager appears to be an atheist or is at least irreligious, claiming that "God died with the gold standard," and that "we're onto more concrete faiths now." His views on religion put him at odds with Father Martin, for whom he harbors great disdain.