Sullivan partly based Rodney on his own experiences: he, too, had a much older sibling and, like Rodney, claims to have been a dreamer and an idealist in his youth.
Sullivan je djelomično temeljio Rodneya na vlastitim iskustvima; i on je imao puno starijeg brata i, kao Rodney, tvrdi da je bio sanjar i idealist u mladosti.