John Whitman is an idiot. He's also a character who just won't behave. He kicks over the traces on page one, ripping out his non-profane, "marvelously alliterative expletives" as he rebels against his sorry fate. I mean, the man has nothing--no money, no job, no food, no future, nobody who cares . . . well, except for that bunch of bill collectors who seem to care way too much. What he does have is a huge mountain of debt, the legacy of his late wife's larceny, which he'll be only too glad to tell you about if you ask, maybe even if you don't ask. He also has a bit of an attitude. Can you...