When Walser first puts on his clown makeup, he does not recognize himself. He transforms into someone else; someone who is one of the lowest in the circus hierarchy. Buffo states that without his "Buffo-face" he is no one at all, an empty shell (Carter 142). The clowns are never spoken of without their face paint on, as if without it they do not exist. When they wake up, before they slather the goop all over their faces, there is no one really there. The clowns only exist with their makeup on, and as Buffo stated, without it there is nothing but a vacancy (Carter 142). I found it interesting that this is the idea Carter portrays, and it is a representation of how the other characters mask themselves in different ways. The Strong Man masks his true self with the vibe that he is nothing but muscle, no thoughts or emotions, and Fevvers masks herself with a "freak" coating, enhancing her irregularity. Who would Fevvers be without her wings? The clowns without their masks? The strong man without his muscles? No one at all.