Walter is 20. He hasn't got a job, a girlfriend or any clear convictions. He rejects conventional values, notably his father's submissive acceptance of a life working in a factory as well as a social life, including sex (he is, self-consciously, a virgin). An on-and-off philosophy student, he'd like to be a committed nihilist but is too insecure. 'All Fall Down' paints a picture of Walter as he weakly tries to find his independence.