Jan

Jan is absent from the novel’s final exchange, but Bigger remembers him as he says goodbye to Max. The request to pass along a greeting gives Jan a brief, consequential presence in the closing scene: he is someone Bigger wants remembered beyond the prison encounter.

Final Mention

After calling to Max, Bigger asks him, “Tell…. Tell Mister…. Tell Jan hello….” Max agrees, and Bigger says goodbye. Jan does not appear in person or answer; his place in the scene is carried entirely by Bigger’s message through Max.

Narrative Significance

The greeting is a small gesture within a farewell, not a reunion or a new meeting between Jan and Bigger. Its placement makes Jan part of the human connection Bigger reaches toward as the final conversation ends, while the scene provides no further information about whether Max delivers the message.