The setting of 1980s New York City, with its lavish parties, champagne-fueled gatherings, and stock trading floors, serves as a character in its own right. Ellis skillfully captures the era's zeitgeist, marked by an unbridled pursuit of wealth, status, and material possessions. The excesses of the yuppie culture are ridiculed and dissected through Bateman's interactions with his peers, highlighting the vapid, narcissistic tendencies that defined the decade. The characters of Evelyn, Timothy, and Courtney – Bateman's acquaintances and supposed friends – are expertly crafted to reflect the shallow, interchangeable nature of these social relationships.