Dennis in How High We Go in the Dark: Character Analysis

Overview: A Man Who Avoids the Living to Serve the Dead

Dennis is a bereavement coordinator at an elegy hotel in San Francisco, a job that places him at the intersection of grief, commerce, and the lingering trauma of the Arctic plague. He is introduced in Chapter 5, “Elegy Hotel,” as a man who has spent years running from his family, only to find himself professionally surrounded by death. His work involves rolling bodies to the crematorium, changing towels, and assisting guests who have come to say goodbye to loved ones. But his most meaningful labor happens off the books: alongside head janitor Mr. Leung and coworker Val, Dennis helps provide cremations for impoverished Chinatown families who cannot afford the hotel’s services. This secret work reveals a core tension in his character—he is simultaneously self-centered and quietly compassionate, avoidant and capable of profound care.

Dennis also appears briefly in Chapter 10, “The Used-to-Be Party,” as a supervisor at WeFuture who manages shadow profiles of the deceased, suggesting his connection to death and memory persists beyond the elegy hotel. His arc in Chapter 5, however, is the heart of his character study: a man who must finally confront the family he abandoned and the guilt he has carried for decades.

Plot Role: The Reluctant Caretaker

In “Elegy Hotel,” Dennis is the first-person narrator, so the reader experiences the chapter through his sardonic, self-aware, and often self-lacerating perspective. His plot role is twofold. First, he is a witness to the commodification of death in a post-plague society, as elegy hotels market luxury suites for the deceased and funerary tokens become currency. Second, he is a participant in a quiet rebellion against that system, helping Mr. Leung burn bodies for families who would otherwise have no dignified option.

His personal plot is driven by his estrangement from his brother Bryan and his ailing mother. The chapter opens with a dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf where Bryan asks Dennis to move home to help care for their mother, whose cancer has spread to her lungs. Dennis declines, leaves, and then spends months avoiding Bryan’s calls. The chapter culminates in their mother’s death, Dennis’s decision to place her body in the hotel’s presidential suite, and a vigil where he finally apologizes to her.

Dennis’s role in the larger novel is to embody the theme of grief and the difficulty of reconciliation. He is a character who has buried his past under layers of self-destructive behavior, yet his job forces him to confront death daily. His story is a microcosm of the novel’s exploration of how people cope with loss—some by running, some by serving, and some by finally turning to face what they have lost.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Dennis’s motivations are often contradictory, and his actions reveal more than his words. He claims he is “needed at the hotel” when Val challenges him about not going home, but the reader sees that he is using work as an excuse to avoid emotional pain. His procrastination is a defining trait: he repeatedly tells Val he will call Bryan “tomorrow,” but days and weeks pass. He even deletes a voicemail from his mother without listening to it, imagining two possible versions—one loving, one accusatory—rather than facing the reality.

Yet Dennis also shows genuine compassion. When Mr. Leung asks for help with under-the-table cremations, Dennis agrees without hesitation, and he does it for free if families cannot pay. He bows his head in respect as they burn incense and cry over photos. He eats dumplings with them on the embalming table. This is not performative; it is a quiet, practical kindness that contrasts sharply with his self-centeredness in family matters.

His traits include a sharp, self-deprecating humor that he uses as a shield. He jokes about his job (“two funerary urns for the price of one”) and calls himself a “fuckup.” He is also deeply observant, noticing the details of his mother’s hands, the smell of her medicine, and the way Val’s tears fall on the carpet. These observations suggest a sensitivity he rarely allows himself to act on.

Chronological Arc: From Avoidance to Apology

Dennis’s arc in Chapter 5 follows a clear trajectory from avoidance to a tentative reckoning.

The Dinner: He meets Bryan and his mother. Bryan asks him to move home. Dennis deflects, orders another Manhattan, and leaves after a tense exchange. He kisses his mother’s cheek but does not promise anything.
The Covert Cremations: Over the following weeks, Dennis helps Mr. Leung and Val with off-the-books cremations. He reflects on his estrangement, including a violent confrontation with his father ten years earlier, when Dennis pulled a knife and then tackled his father, breaking his nose. His mother kicked him out, and he never returned.
The Avoidance: Dennis ignores Bryan’s calls, deletes voicemails, and tells Val he will call “tomorrow.” Val eventually gives up on him, saying she is “done” with his excuses.
The Call: Months later, Bryan calls to report their mother has died. Dennis answers this time. He asks to take care of her body, saying, “Just give me this.”
The Vigil: Dennis arranges for his mother’s body to be placed in the hotel’s presidential suite, costing him his stipend for two years. He and Bryan sit vigil, decorate the room with family photos, and share wine. Dennis apologizes to his mother’s body, tells her he loves her, and waits for an embrace that will never come.

This arc is not a full redemption—Dennis does not suddenly become a model son—but it is a step toward confronting his grief. The chapter ends with him imagining a future where he might have known his mother better, but the present is only a vigil.

Relationships: The Weight of Family and Friendship

Bryan: Dennis’s brother is the moral counterweight. Bryan is responsible, patient, and angry. He has been the one to care for their parents, and he resents Dennis’s absence. Dennis acknowledges this: “Bryan was the brother I didn’t deserve.” Their relationship is strained but not broken; Bryan keeps calling, and Dennis keeps ignoring. When their mother dies, Bryan is already in the presidential suite, decorating it with photos and a quilt. He cries into wine, and Dennis sits beside him. They share memories of family road trips, and for a moment, the estrangement softens.

Mother: Dennis’s mother is a figure of both love and judgment. She is dying, and she asks Dennis to come home, but she also remembers his violence against his father. Dennis’s memories of her are mixed: she bailed him out of debt, but she also kicked him out. In the vigil, he apologizes for not appreciating her, for not knowing her. He imagines her saying, “You’re still on my shit list, Dennis, but I want to have fun for once in my damn life.” This imagined voice captures her blend of toughness and longing.

Father: Dennis’s father is a source of trauma. The violent confrontation—Dennis pulling a knife, his father punching him, Dennis tackling him—is the pivotal event that severed Dennis from his family. Dennis never attended his father’s funeral. He fantasizes about what it would have been like to apologize, but he never does.

Val: Val is Dennis’s only real friend at the hotel. She is a young widow who lost her husband to the plague while she was in Mexico. She pushes Dennis to confront his avoidance, but she also shares her own guilt about not being with her husband when he died. Their friendship is built on mutual, if unspoken, understanding of grief. Val eventually distances herself when Dennis refuses to change, but she remains a catalyst for his growth.

Mr. Leung: The head janitor is the one who brings Dennis into the covert cremation operation. He represents a connection to tradition and community, and his request gives Dennis a way to do something meaningful.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Declining to move home: This decision prolongs his estrangement and leads to months of guilt. It also forces him to confront the consequences when his mother dies without him having reconciled.
Helping with off-the-books cremations: This decision shows his capacity for selflessness, but it also puts his job at risk. It gives him a sense of purpose and a way to honor the dead that the elegy hotel’s commercial model cannot.
Answering Bryan’s call: This is a turning point. He finally listens to the news of his mother’s death and asks to take responsibility for her body.
Placing his mother in the presidential suite: This is a costly, symbolic act. It is his way of giving her the dignity he feels he denied her in life. It also brings him and Bryan together for the vigil.
Apologizing to his mother’s body: This is the emotional climax. He drapes himself over her, tells her he is sorry, and says he loves her. It is a private act of atonement, though it cannot undo the years of avoidance.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Dennis’s story is deeply tied to the novel’s central themes.

Grief and Mourning: Dennis’s entire life is shaped by unprocessed grief—for his father, for his estranged family, and ultimately for his mother. His job forces him to witness others’ grief, but he cannot process his own until the vigil.
Sacrifice and Selflessness: His covert cremations are a form of sacrifice, both of his time and his safety. He does it for no pay, and he does it with respect. This contrasts with the hotel’s profit-driven model.
Memory and Legacy: Dennis’s memories of his family are selective and painful. He imagines his mother’s voicemail rather than listening to it. The vigil is an attempt to create a memory he can live with.
The Commodification of Death: The elegy hotel is a symbol of how death has been turned into a business. Dennis’s off-the-books work is a rebellion against that commodification, a return to a more human way of mourning.
Hope and Resilience: Despite his avoidance, Dennis does take a step toward reconciliation. The chapter ends with him imagining a better future, even if it is only in his mind. This suggests a glimmer of hope.

For more on these themes, see the grief and mourning, sacrifice and selflessness, memory and legacy, the commodification of death, and hope and resilience pages.

Questions and Answers

1. Why does Dennis initially refuse to move home to help care for his mother?

Dennis refuses because he is avoiding the emotional weight of his family history. He has been estranged from them since a violent confrontation with his father ten years earlier, and he has never reconciled. He uses work as an excuse, telling Val he is “needed at the hotel,” but the real reason is his fear of facing his past.

2. What is the significance of Dennis’s off-the-books cremations?

The cremations are significant because they show Dennis’s capacity for compassion outside the commercial system. He helps impoverished Chinatown families who cannot afford the hotel’s services, and he does it for free if necessary. This act contrasts with the hotel’s profit-driven model and gives Dennis a sense of purpose and moral grounding.

3. How does Dennis’s relationship with Val influence his actions?

Val serves as a mirror and a conscience. She challenges Dennis’s avoidance, telling him he is “full of shit” and that he needs to grow up. She shares her own guilt about her husband’s death, which makes Dennis reflect on his own failures. Her eventual distance pushes him to finally answer Bryan’s call.

4. What does Dennis’s decision to place his mother in the presidential suite reveal about him?

It reveals his desire to give his mother dignity and to make amends. He spends his stipend for two years to do it, which is a significant sacrifice. The act is symbolic—he is giving her the best he can offer, even though he cannot undo the years of neglect. It also brings him and Bryan together for the vigil.

5. Does Dennis achieve redemption by the end of Chapter 5?

Dennis does not achieve full redemption, but he takes a significant step. He apologizes to his mother’s body and tells her he loves her, which is a form of atonement. However, he still imagines a future that might have been, and he does not fully reconcile with Bryan. The chapter ends with a sense of tentative hope rather than complete resolution.

For more on the novel’s ending and other questions, see the ending explained and questions and answers pages.