The main character is Michael Lowes. His wife and "pick-up acquaintances" are in the background. Michael Lowes is described as a man with "the pallid, asymmetrical face, with the right eye so much higher than the left, and it's eyebrow so peculiarly arched like a V turned upside down". He had a family, a wife and children. But he wanted something more, unusual, maybe a unique experience to cheer up and got it. He preferred playing bridge game with his pick-up acquaintances, just taking a day/night off to drink some alcohol, to "warm" a bit. One day he was drinking with his "cheap fellows" just to escape his routine but then one of them said about impulse everyone was exposed to.Michael was a gambler, life was a game for him so he decided to "put the impulse to the test". Michael wanted to feel something new, but having stolen a snakeskin box he felt nothing similar from the impulse, but felt scary and angry having been caught. As a result, though he told the police it was just a joke and a bet, he was arrested, his friends denied they knew him and even his wife left him. It was a foolish end. His motto was like: Why not?