 The novel is written in the first @-@ person , from Clay 's perspective . Clay , who " felt betrayed by Less Than Zero " , uses Imperial Bedrooms to make a stand or a case for himself , though ultimately " reveals himself to be far worse than the author of Less Than Zero ever began to hint at . " Clay still bears similarities to the earlier character in Less Than Zero ; according to one reviewer , " not all that much is changed . Clay is a cipher , an empty shell who is only able to approximate interactions and experiences through acts of sadism and exploitation . " He is also , in many ways , a new character , because the opening of the book presents that the Clay of Less Than Zero had merely been " just a writer pretending to be him " . When asked why he " changed " Clay from " passive " to " guilty " , Ellis explained he felt Clay 's inaction in the original novel made him equally as guilty ; it had " always bothered " Ellis that Clay didn 't do anything to save the little girl being raped in the first novel . The Independent notes " his passivity [ in Less Than Zero ] has hardened into something far more culpable , and nefarious . " According to Ellis , " In LA , over time , the real person you are ultimately comes out . " He also speculates " maybe the fear turned him into a monster " . Ellis remarks that he finds the developments in Clay " so exciting " . One reviewer summarized the character 's development , " The nascent narcissist of Less Than Zero ... is now left in a " dead end " . The novel is Ellis ' " deeply pessimistic presentation of human nature as assailable ... an unflinching study of evil . " 
