In the story Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad uses many literary devices to create, for his readers, a vivid image of what his definition of light and darkness. Conrad suggestively uses a technique where for every character who portrays darkness there is an opposing character who portrays some measure of light. This technique can be explained in the form of comparison and contrast, for example the “Harlequin” and the Manager. While these two characters share few comparisons, their contrasts are one among many. The Harlequin character is said to be a Russian man who has an eccentric taste in fashion, coining him the nickname Harlequin. He is also considered the "disciple" of Kurtz, because as a boy the harlequin had run away from home, where he later took him to the depths of the Congo, where Kurtz soon took him under his wing and molded him. “Kurtz expanded my mind,” which is his catchphrase, meaning that Kurtz had given him knowledge and taught him to think outside the box. The Harlequin represents the light inferred in the story. However, there is no discussion about the "good deeds" he does, like some of the other characters, he illustrates innocence and purity. On the other hand, the Manager is none of these things. The way Conrad paints it is, simply put, false. He is described as a man who is vague in his actions and provides no emotion behind his words. He also has small blue eyes and a vacant smile that is said to be "a seal placed on words to make the meaning of the most common phrase appear utterly inscrutable." In other words, all his malarkey is made philosophical by his enigmatic, but empty smile, Conrad even keeps insisting that the Manager is there... in the center of the card... He criticizes Kurtz's plan to procure the ivory saying he has “ruined the district” with his “unhealthy methods.” He also criticizes the work he does at Central Station, saying that "Kurtz has done more harm than good to the Company." Even though he was also not an honest man, he took the liberty of judging Kurtz. The purpose that these two characters serve to highlight Kurtz's distinctive qualities is that Conrad uses them, in a sense, as a form of light and truth. , however, not as a sign of purity and rectitude, but as clarification. These two characters, for much of the story, were the only ones who really knew the man behind the glory because Kurtz worked for the manager at Central Station, and the Harlequin was his protégé, they had personal relationships with him. They knew about all the horrible deeds this man had done.