A fiery Spanish recluse in the mountains near Big Sur, de Angulo is unpredictable while drinking. He visits Henry Miller expressly to meet Miller's ornery house guest, Conrad Moricand. They share the same Little Lord Fauntleroy background, but have become polar opposites, except in their obsession with evil and opposition to Christianity. De Angulo's paganism is of the primitive type. Despite outward appearances, de Angulo is a man of learning and taste and the two men get so wrapped up in conversation about the past that they fail to get drunk. De Angulo is a great mimic as he tells the story of his life, including two marriages and accidentally killing his favorite son. Moricand is fascinated to hear about de Angulo's researches into the diverse languages of North America.