Mr. Pignati is just a big kid at heart. He was very lonely until John and Lorriane came along. He is a closed man and tries to hide his feelings about his wife’s death. He is a very nice and kind hearted man and tries to be nice to Lorriane and John. “Make yourself’s at home”, “have whatever you want,” he says with a big smile.
Mr.Pignati gives Lorriane and John something that their parents don’t, freedom. For the reasons listed above John and Lorriane often go to Mr. Pignati’s house. John and Lorriane love the pigman; they find many qualities in him that they don’t find in their own parents. It nice to get away from the nagging sometimes.
At first John and Lorriane just pity Mr. Pignati, so they go to the zoo with him, but after a while they really like him and grow attached to him. Mr. Pignati, a lonely man with an only friend, a monkey at the local zoo, welcomed John and Lorriane as friends.
He really enjoyed their company and tried to make them happy. Mr. Pignati acted like a big kid, but the problem is he’s 50 years old. He goofs around, drinks wine, buys them anything they want. Their parents never did that. As time goes on the Lorriane and John grow more attached to Mr. Pignati to the point of love. While he is fooling around in his child-like way Mr. Pignati over-exerts himself and has a heart attack.
Mr. Pignati must stay at the hospital to recover; amazingly he gives the keys to John and Lorriane! Their parents would never let them have the house for a week. Mr. Pignati comes home and day early and finds his house a mess he is very devastated.
The next day John, Lorriane, and Mr. Pignati go to the zoo to visit Bobo. When Mr. Pignati finds out Bobo died of Pneumonia he has a second heart attack and dies.
