Alan is Marianne’s older brother, who still lives at home with their mother. He’s verbally and physically abusive to Marianne, often looking for ways to get into arguments with her. Not all of these arguments end in violence, but he always manages to at least say something hurtful about her. When she’s living at home for the summer in one of her final years of college, he chases her into her room and then opens the door so hard that it slams into her face and possibly breaks her nose. After she calls Connell for help, he comes and tells Marianne to get in the car, and then he threatens to kill Alan if he ever hurts Marianne again. Crying in fear, Alan tells Connell that he understands—he won’t touch her again.