In “Persons Unknown”, the reader is introduced to Alvin Dewey, the agent from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation in charge of the Clutters’ murder case. Dewey is an extremely hard working man who becomes utterly devoted to finding the killers of the Clutter family. The reader not only greatly respects and admires Dewey for his dedication to solving the murders, but also becomes concern for the welfare of Dewey whose obsession with the case has a negative impact on his health and family life. Dewey’s fixation on the case at the exclusion of everything else is seen when just a few days before Christmas he still has not purchased a single gift for his wife or two young sons. As Capote says of Dewey, “His mind automatically rejected problems not concerned with the Clutter case” (148). In a mere three weeks, Dewey loses twenty pounds and is described as looking awful. He is unable to sleep and finds himself smoking to relieve stress. The case consumes Dewey’s life. In an attempt to find some clue to who the murderers are, Dewey reads every entry in Nancy’s diary. Dewey finds himself going to the Clutters’ home almost daily, walking through it as he contemplates the awful circumstances of their death. The overpowering hold that the case has on Dewey is evident when Dewey says, “…I’ve come to feel I know Herb and the family better than they ever knew themselves. I’m haunted by them. I guess I always will be. Until I know what happened” (148). In Capote’s portrayal of Dewey, it appears that Capote is projecting much of himself on to Dewey. Like Dewey, Capote becomes obsessed with the case. He spends years researching the case, even relocating to Kansas for much of the time. Similar to Dewey, Capote’s preoccupation with the case detracts him from important relationships in his life. With the arrest and conviction of Perry and Dick, Capote spends countless hours with them, in an attempt to better understand them and how they could have arrived at the point to have murdered four innocent people. Capote’s total commitment to the case is mirrored in Dewey’s obsession to solve the murders.