both barbara and willie jay offer the insights into perry's personality.

Barbara is Perry's older sister and lives quite some distance away. Since the time Perry was in Olathe he's carried his personal belongings around in a few boxes. Inside on of the boxes is a letter his sister wrote to him while he was in jail. She definitely plays the older sister; her tone is firm and appropriate for an older sibling, but she chides him as well. he hates his sister, and Barbara has no problem telling him in that letter that he needs to stop blaming his father and his childhood for the person he's become; in other words, she's telling him to man up and take responsiblilty. Having grown up with Perry, Barbara is a credible source for what his childhood was like, and she's a great resource for things that happened in his past.

Willie Jay sees Perry as weak, but he likes having him around. He is condescending towards Perry, which allows us to assume that there isn't much respect there, and yet Perry idolizes Willie Jay. I wouldn't put as much stock in Willie Jay's view as I would Barbara's, but he is definitely able to see much in Perry that is NOT complimentary.