Gale is a student who attends the same high school as the protagonist, Charlie, in a rural area of Missouri. He is a teenage boy of average appearance with medium-length brown hair and blue eyes.

Initially, Gale comes across as friendly, approachable, and easy to talk to. He holds very strong personal beliefs, most notably a deep opposition to the consumption of meat, which he actively tries to persuade his peers to stop doing. He demonstrates this conviction by protesting outside his school with a sign to raise awareness about animal suffering. His actions at school, including provocative protests that bring him into conflict with another student named Ozzie, attract attention and begin to spread on social media.

Gale's strong identification with the principles of the Animal Liberation Alliance, an organization that advocates for animal rights, is the foundation of his character. As tensions at school escalate, he is approached and skillfully manipulated by members of the ALA, particularly its leader, Rivera Feyerabend, who steers him toward more extreme and violent actions. This influence causes Gale to become a central figure in the "Red Pill Shooting Incident," where his previously peaceful activism takes a dark and dangerous turn. He is led to believe that violence is a justifiable method to "deliver justice" for animals.

Key to Gale's development is his relationship with Max, an individual who exploits Gale's obsession and manipulates him into committing a violent act like a school shooting. Gale's role in the story is that of a character whose sincere but uncompromising beliefs make him a target for radicalization, demonstrating how external manipulation can distort genuine conviction into a destructive force. His trajectory shows a transformation from a well-meaning but persistent activist into a perpetrator of violence. His primary ability lies not in physical strength but in his capacity to absorb and act upon a specific ideology, a trait that makes him useful to the ALA's plans.