The main characteristic of the rough-neck is loudness. Everything about
him is loud, even his clothes.
Harry, there, is one of them. He is really not such a terrible fellow
but just note him for a moment and you will see what it is that makes
him unpopular.
That suit, for example. Of course, this is an informal dance, but why
did he have to wear a suit made of orange tweed? And his necktie! Look
at it! Most atrocious! Of course the cloth and the cut of that suit are
quite nice, taken separately. That’s Harry’s main fault, he wants the
most modish suits that he can find. He wants it plainly understood that
he is here.
And his dancing: have you ever witnessed such an abomination? Down the
hall he goes pushing some poor unsuspecting girl before him, laughing
and talking at the top of his voice. He sees somebody halfway across
the hall and re-exerts his voice to greet them.
You may think he is drunk. He isn’t. That manner is natural. As for
drinking, Harry never drinks and only smokes when he is not in
training, and he is in training most of the time.
The men like him immensely outside, but notice how they resent his
good-humored pinching and back-slapping in here.
The only cure for this type of wallflower is an intense love affair
with some clever little girl who can make something other than a big
ham out of him.