In The Art of Etiolation we also meet: Lorraine Albert, an uncompromising, demanding theatre professor; Larry, a former pro basketball player whose relentless cheer is a desperate attempt to camouflage the painful loss of his status, his money, his home, and his marriage; Brian, a Ivy Leaguer whose prep school swagger and cocaine addiction mask loneliness and insecurity, as well as vulnerability and decency; Michael Proverbs, a war photographer, a man clear-eyed enough to see the truth, but whose private life is also affected by his professional one, for better and for worse; and Adam, a talented actor and fellow classmate of Magali's who is attracted to her, unaware of the secrets she conceals.