Paul Owen Character Analysis

A fellow Wall Street investment banker, Paul Owen manages “the Fisher account,” a fact Patrick Bateman obsesses over, though the reader never learns the significance of this particular account. Paul confuses Bateman for Marcus Halberstam, another banker, so often that, when in his presence, Bateman calls Evelyn “Cecilia,” the name of Marcus’ girlfriend. Bateman despises (and is likely jealous of) Paul, and eventually plots to kill him, taking him to dinner (while pretending to be Marcus Halberstam), getting him incredibly drunk, and killing him in his own apartment with an ax. This particular murder, however, is often considered to be a possible hallucination of Bateman’s, as others report Paul being seen in London and, in the final pages of the novel, Bateman’s lawyer, Harold Carnes, tells Bateman he had dinner with Paul just the week before.