Alfonso is the protagonist of Broken Chain. He is described as a typical Hispanic boy of about thirteen years of age. He lives with his parents and older brother in a house in an urban area. Alfonso does daily sit-ups to develop his abdominal muscles and cuts his hair in a style adopted from a popular magazine. He wishes his teeth were straight, all so he can hopefully attract the attention of a girl. Since his mother tells him braces are too expensive, Alfonso spends about an hour each night using his thumbs to put pressure on his teeth in an unsuccessful attempt to straighten them out a little bit.