Abusive Parents : of the emotionally abusive variety. Left him with major trust issues and a sociopathic personality.
Angst? What Angst? : He had his brother drown when he was a child, which led to emotionally abusive parents and a childhood of Parental Neglect. Nearly drowned when he was a child, and has a lifelong fear of water. He was sexually abused by one of his teachers. His commitment issues have commitment issues. But he never angsts about it- on the contrary, anyone trying to show even a hint of sympathy towards him gets reactions ranging from anger to outright violence.
Berserk Button : Do not mention his parents. At all. Ever. Don't mention anything about people drowning either. Oh, and, don't hurt his lover or his admin.
Big Brother Is Employing You : works as mid-level management for the sinister top-secret feared police agency. Treats it as just another job, albeit one with good pay, decent working hours and substantial perks.
Deconstructed Character Archetype, to an extent. The writer examines the effect his sociopathy has on his relationships and his interactions with people. It isn't always pleasant.
The Corrupter : Enjoys seeing people do things that they know they shouldn't do.
Genre Savvy : Knows that he's living in a Crapsack World where Big Brother is Watching, and has nothing but disdain for people who try to rebel against the system. Justified in that he works for the government, and knows what happens to people who break the rules. Also, more resisters mean more interrogations, which means longer office hours.
Hates Being Touched : outside of sex, because it signifies emotional intimacy, which he cannot stand.
Trauma Button : Water, and drowning, and anything to do with large quantities of water. really.
Unstoppable Rage : shown in graphic detail in Control. If you hurt Sara, his admin and best friend, you will get the shit beat out of you. Comes back to bite him in the ass.
Work Hard, Play Hard : Has a near-unbreakable work ethic, and gets assigned some of the most important and sensitive cases that come to I&I. Hasn't stopped him from fucking about half of New London.
Dr. Keir Warrick :
Badass Bookworm : He may just be a programmer and the corporate CEO of a small tech company, but do not mess with Warrick. Or his company, Sim Tech. Or his lover. Or his family.
Benevolent Boss : Nice to his employees, does not enact surveillance on them, refuses to fire an employee who was convicted of attempted murder, treats his company like his child. Working for Dr. Warrick seems like mone of the better jobs in the Administration.
Angst? What Angst? : He had his brother drown when he was a child, which led to emotionally abusive parents and a childhood of Parental Neglect. Nearly drowned when he was a child, and has a lifelong fear of water. He was sexually abused by one of his teachers. His commitment issues have commitment issues. But he never angsts about it- on the contrary, anyone trying to show even a hint of sympathy towards him gets reactions ranging from anger to outright violence.