Cole
Cole is the first boy interviewed by the author regarding men's masculinity. He is a college student, and he recounts all his experiences starting from the first year of study. According to Cole, a man must be a 'bro,' show strength and dominate. More importantly, Cole says that having many girls is a sign of masculinity.
Rob
Rob is the second boy interviewed by the author. He is eighteen years of age from New Jersey studying at North Carolina College. According to Rob, his father always reminded him to get brave whenever he failed to execute specific duties. Therefore, Rob never discusses his problems with anybody because they will think that he is not a man enough.
Ely
Ely grows up in Washington, DC, and he learned about societal expectations indirectly from people around him because his father was shy. Ely agrees that he did not learn male toxicity and masculinity from his father.
William Pollack
According to William, the boys' code teaches them to view masculinity as a superior advantage over women. Therefore, girliness in men must not be tolerated.
Judy Y. Chu
Judy studies early gender socialization. According to Judy, infantile boys recollect a keen comprehension of emotional state and yearning for close relationships. However, that yearning is kicked off at the age of five to become hierarchical in their behavior.
Brenne Brown
Brown is a psychologist who studies the behavior and relationship between men and women. According to Brown, women tend to love transparent men. However, in reality, few men meet such women's specifications because every man wants to show his masculinity and dominance.
Eric
Eric is a high school senior in Los Angeles. He is among the many interviewees who interacted with the author to give his views on masculinity.
Ethan
Ethan is a freshman in college, and he agrees to share his opinion regarding male dominance with the author. When joining the college as a freshman, Ethan knew very well that he would have a hard time interacting with his seniors because they were more domineering. Ethan narrates how he joined the school team, and he recalls how difficult it was for him to deal with his seniors.
Robert Lipsyte
Robert is a journalist interested in learning about the jock culture. According to Robert, boys love athletics because it is a sport that symbolizes strength, power, dominance, and courage.
C.J. Pascoe
Pascoe is a sociology professor at Oregon University, and he talks about the boy's box' and the sexual orientation of boys. He draws the distinction between boys and girls on various aspects.
Meteo
Meteo is seventeen years old boy studying at the same school as Cole. Meteo reveals that he learned how to man up from his father's actions.
Adam
Adam is a twenty-year-old young man, a college sophomore in San Francisco. Adam is gay, and he is not ashamed about it because he proudly declares his status. Adam remembers how fellow students in high school humiliated and ridiculed him because of his sexual orientation.
