Willard Stiles

Willard Stiles is a socially inept, introverted, low, insecure, anxious, easily shaken, nervous, pathetic, creepy, intelligent, cunning, vengeful, mentally and emotionally unstable, prone to panic attacks, sensitive, troubled, disturbed, outcast, isolated, nonchalant and introverted 30-year-old. He has trust issues. Around others Willard is extremely insecure and introverted, he always looks down rarely making eye contact. He therefore has trouble standing up for himself. He’s easily shaken and makes nervous gestures like squeezing his suitcase handle tightly, sweating or trembling. When Willard can’t run away from a problem or feels strongly that something is unfair he will be literally shrieking, his face will freeze in permanent pain and if it is something serious that threatens his well-being, routine or personal life , he'll cry helplessly throwing himself around then he’ll succumb to frantically begging. Willard is prone to bouts of intense emotion. He doesn't drink or smoke, nor has he had any friendships or romantic relationships in his life. He may act weird and shy around someone he considers a friend.

He is clean cut. Wears light grey or dark business suits with a tie and leather shoes, he's always clean shaven and parts his neatly trimmed hair in the middle. Willard is not unattractive, but his piercing light blue eyes and pointed nose, along with his strange demeanor, make him creepy. He's 6'1 and has pale skin, sharp cheeks, a strong angular face and piercing light blue eyes.

Willard works at a desk job at "Martin Stiles Manufacturing" for an old friend of the family, Frank Martin. After Martin took over management of the plant, he promised Willard’s father he would always care for both Mrs. Stiles and her son, but though his father had built the plant, Willard was a simple employee and his position wasn’t a secure one. He also pushed Willard's father into commiting suicide. Frank Martin (Mr. Martin) is a tyrannical, humiliating and abusive man, as well as rich.

The story features two rats with personalities of their own. Socrates, a white rat, was Willard’s first rat. He keeps his rodent friend with him, even sharing his bed and carrying it in his coat pocket.

Socrates was dominant over the other rats, second only to Willard himself. Socrates became for Willard a shining light in his depressive dark world. Socrates is the most peaceful rat and the only one that does not show aggressive tendencies.

The rat population in Willard’s basement grew exponentially causing a financial strain. Willard couldn’t feed them all, thus, he made a fateful decision. At one point when Willard thought he could no longer care for the rats he instructed them all to instead follow Ben, a giant Gambian Pouched Rat. So, Ben became Willard’s ally but also his rival. Ben is a vengeful, passive aggressive and intelligent rodent, outsmarting Socrates. All the rats would follow Ben as their leader. Willard believed Ben would take the rats some place safe, but Ben had other plans and didn’t leave. Instead, Ben moved all the rats upstairs and began eating everything in sight. When Willard arrived home, he discovered his mother dead on the basement stairs with a look of terror on her face and the rats destroying and gnawing at furniture, food and even breaking the urn that contained his father's ashes on purpose. Ben and Socrates are the only rats that have their own personalities, the other rats are aggressive with everything that isn't Willard, Ben, or food. The rats became more aggressive after that, they started killing small animals like cats, raccoons, birds and even small breed dogs that could be easily overpowered by the colony. Willard never regained full control of Ben or the colony of rats after that.

He lives in the Stiles family mansion located somewhere in Brooklyn, New York.