Harvey Alexander Character Analysis in The Glass Hotel

Harvey Alexander is an employee who works on Floor 17 of Jonathan Alkaitis’s business, in the firm’s asset management branch. He is one of the employees who knowingly engages in fraudulent business on Alkaitis’s behalf. When news breaks that the Ponzi scheme is on the verge of collapse and investors are beginning to pull out, Harvey immediately begins to compose a confession and gather evidence to make himself useful to authorities in order to minimize (or avoid) serving prison time for his role in the Ponzi scheme. His desire to avoid imprisonment motivates him to betray the people he worked alongside for years—people who have become friends to him. Harvey’s efforts to ingratiate himself with authorities do pay off, and he’s sentenced to time served in exchange for his assistance to the prosecution. After the dust settles, he ends up moving to New Jersey to live with his sister and work in her ice cream shop.

Harvey Alexander Character Timeline in The Glass Hotel

The timeline below shows where the character Harvey Alexander appears in The Glass Hotel. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...man in his 50s or 60s sits on the sofa. The man introduces himself as Harvey Alexander. Vincent demands to know why everyone is acting so strangely. Jonathan orders her to... (full context)

...senses that something is gravely wrong. Ron smiles at her, but Joelle, Oskar, Enrico, and Harvey can only stare blankly ahead. Alkaitis states that everyone in the room “know[s] what we... (full context)

After the meeting with Alkaitis, the 17th floor gets busy: Harvey begins to write a confession, Joelle steps out for a walk to stop herself from... (full context)

Claire approaches her father in his office. Harvey is on the sofa, looking strange and almost “giddy.” Investors have been pulling out, and... (full context)

...shred the documents, Alkaitis will pretend not to understand the question. In his own testimony, Harvey will suggest that Alkaitis might have been trying to protect Lenny Xavier, an important investor... (full context)

At 7:30, Harvey arrives with pizza. He offers some to Simone and tells her he’s going to take... (full context)

...stays behind, except for Enrico, who has fled, and Oskar, who is at a bar. Harvey is looking through the Xavier boxes. Sometime later, everyone in the asset management unit heads... (full context)

Back in the office, Harvey continues to shred papers, moving all the supplies to Alkaitis’s office to work there. Joelle... (full context)

Back in the office, Harvey and Joelle continue to shred papers and discuss their options moving forward. Harvey is optimistic... (full context)

...at 11:30 and leaves for her office, where she promptly falls asleep under her desk. Harvey finds her there later, covers her with her coat, and leaves to contemplate which incriminating... (full context)

At 2:00 a.m., Harvey is pacing around his house, trying to commit all its details to his memory. Meanwhile,... (full context)

...Around the same time, Oskar is in bed, at home. He’s thinking about the moment Harvey first asked him to backdate a trade on Lenny Xavier’s account. Though Oscar was initially... (full context)

...still unsure of whether he should stick around or flee the country. He walks by Harvey’s office and sees him writing frantically at his desk. Joelle is by the photocopy machine,... (full context)

The investors return to the Gradia Building the next morning. Harvey tries to avoid making eye contact with them, but Olivia recognizes and confronts him, asking... (full context)

...everyone who was convicted has served their sentences. Because of his cooperation with the state, Harvey is sentenced to time served and has since moved to New Jersey to live in... (full context)