[lurker19]

I am curious to know how he avoided using his college education and the attendant cultural support. Did he take on an affected "low" accent, alter his skin color, give himself a few scars indicative of an unhealthy upbringing or a tour of duty in Iraq, deprive himself of sleep to simulate average intelligence, and invite some folks to play hanger-on friends and family?

[ianferrel]

Obviously, there's a limit to the extent that he could make himself lose the benefits of race, intelligence, and education. But I think he did a pretty reasonable job. He moved to a city semi-at-random, where he had no friends or family. He never claimed to have any more than a high school diploma. He lived in a homeless shelter and worked day-labor jobs until he could save enough to move out (with a roommate he met in the homeless shelter).