Character Relationship Map: Brain Damage

Characters

• Brian (played by Rick Hearst) — protagonist

  Brian is the central protagonist, a man who becomes host to the English-speaking parasite Aylmer after a mysterious illness. Addicted to Aylmer's hallucinogenic fluid, he initially acts unconsciously...

• Barbara (played by Jennifer Lowry) — protagonist

  Barbara is Brian's girlfriend, whose concern grows as his addiction isolates him from ordinary life. After Mike and Barbara begin a relationship, Brian attempts to warn them away from Aylmer. Barbara...

• Mike (played by Gordon MacDonald) — supporting

  Mike is Brian's brother and one of the people worried by Brian's increasingly strange and isolated behavior. He begins a relationship with Barbara, intensifying Brian's emotional collapse. After Brian...

• Morris (played by Theo Barnes) — supporting

  Morris is Brian's neighbor and the previous owner of Aylmer. He explains that the parasite has passed through hundreds of owners since the Middle Ages and warns Brian that feeding it human brains will...

• Aylmer (played by John Zacherle) — supporting

  Aylmer is a worm-like parasite that speaks perfect English and controls Brian through a euphoric fluid injected into his brain. It demands that Brian take it for walks so it can kill and consume victi...

• Police (played by Don Henenlotter) — minor
• Martha (played by Lucille Saint-Peter) — supporting

  Martha is Morris's wife and participates with him in the attempt to take Aylmer back from Brian. She is present when they hold Brian at gunpoint, but Aylmer attacks the couple and feeds on their brain...

• Night Watchman (played by Bradlee Rhodes) — supporting

  The Night Watchman is a victim encountered while Brian is under Aylmer's hallucinogenic influence. Aylmer kills and devours his brain in a junkyard while Brian is incoherent and unaware of the surroun...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Police → Brian (Professional Investigators) — The police investigate the final scene and discover Brian's condition.

  The police arrive at the apartment building and break down Brian's door with Mike.

• Morris → Martha (Family Husband And Wife) — Morris and Martha act together as a married couple.

  The plot identifies Martha as Morris's wife during their attempt to reclaim Aylmer.

• Morris → Aylmer (Temporal Former Host) — Morris previously carried and controlled Aylmer before Brian became its host.

  Morris states that he was the previous owner of the parasite and had given it the name Aylmer.

• Brian → Mike (Family Brothers) — Mike remains connected to Brian despite Brian's withdrawal and danger.

  The plot explicitly identifies Mike as Brian's brother, and Mike later joins the police when they enter Brian's room.

• Brian → Barbara (Romantic Boyfriend And Girlfriend) — Barbara is Brian's romantic partner before Aylmer's influence separates them.

  Barbara is identified as Brian's girlfriend and becomes worried as he isolates himself.

• Brian → Aylmer (Power Host And Parasite) — Aylmer controls Brian through addiction and bodily possession.

  Aylmer inhabits Brian's body and injects fluid directly into his brain, making Brian dependent on it.

• Barbara → Mike (Romantic Partners) — Mike and Barbara form a new relationship while Brian is consumed by Aylmer.

  When Brian returns to the apartment, he discovers that Mike and Barbara have begun a relationship.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Mike → Police (Alliance Cooperator) — Mike assists the police during the final intervention.

  Mike joins the police when they break down Brian's door at the apartment building.

• Brian → Night Watchman (Narrative Indirect Complicity) — Brian's drugged state enables Aylmer's murder.

  Brian is unaware of the world around him while Aylmer uses his body during the attack on the night watchman.

• Aylmer → Night Watchman (Conflict Murderer And Victim) — The night watchman becomes one of Aylmer's human victims.

  Aylmer kills and devours the night watchman's brain in a junkyard while Brian is under the juice's influence.

• Aylmer → Barbara (Conflict Murderer And Victim) — Aylmer murders Barbara to preserve its control over Brian.

  Barbara follows Brian onto the subway, where Aylmer kills her.

• Martha → Brian (Conflict Captor) — Martha becomes a direct threat to Brian during the apartment confrontation.

  Martha participates with Morris in holding Brian at gunpoint to take Aylmer back.

• Morris → Brian (Narrative Warning Figure) — Morris provides Brian with crucial knowledge about Aylmer.

  Morris confronts Brian outside the apartment and explains Aylmer's history and the danger of feeding it human brains.

Story Analysis

A man becomes enslaved by a brain-eating parasite whose addictive fluid destroys his relationships, morality, and body.

Plot Progression

1. The Parasite's Promise — Brian recovers from illness and discovers Aylmer inside his body. The parasite offers pleasurable juice in exchange for being taken outside.
2. Hunger Behind The High — Aylmer uses Brian's drugged body to kill victims at a junkyard and nightclub. Brian's addiction deepens while Barbara and Mike become increasingly concerned.
3. The Former Owner's Warning — Morris reveals Aylmer's long history and explains how human brains strengthen it. Brian attempts withdrawal, but Aylmer convinces him that resistance will be unbearable.
4. Love Under Predation — Brian discovers Mike and Barbara's new relationship and tries to protect them from Aylmer. Barbara follows him to the subway, where Aylmer kills her.
5. The Last Injection — Morris and Martha attempt to reclaim Aylmer at gunpoint. Aylmer attacks them, but Morris crushes it, causing Brian's fatal overdose and final collapse.