John Brown

Stumbled Into the Plot: Sort of. But he ended up getting kidnapped due to his association with Jack.

John Brown
Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore
An old Shrew who's the proprietor of the Little & Big pub.
Cordon Bleugh Chef: Most of his Side Jobs involve asking John to procures some utterly foul ingredients for some experimental recipe, one of which is a fish so awful-smelling that Jack considers the trenches to be slightly more tolerable.
Dark and Troubled Past: Like most of the other shrews, he used to live a peaceful life in Shrewthicket until escalating racial tensions led to it being wiped off the map.
I Have Your Wife: At the end of the game, he gets kidnapped by the BMP, who for whatever reason believed that he was the closest person to Jack's heart. Jack is mostly incredulous at Soyer's stupidity.
Hidden Depths: Though he comes off as a slightly eccentric bartender, John Brown is quite well-versed in the history of his fellow shrews, and one of the side-quests he sends Jack on suggests he was involved in some murky business out in the swamps before he was a bartender.
Lethal Chef: Downplayed. While he's a successful pub owner, he nevertheless has multiple disgusting recipe ideas which he makes Jack help him realize.
Meaningful Name: While his name could be a reference to Brown Cheese (a type of Norwegian cheese), John Brown is also directly named after a famous American slavery abolitionist. In-game portraits show that a version of the abolitionist does exist in-universe, implying that he might actually be named after the person.
Pet the Dog: He makes a point of being lenient with the tabs of his fellow shrews, recognizing that many of them can only afford to pay so much.
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Implied. He states that he used to be a wrestler in Shrewthicket, and claims he could choke Jack out before he can move.
Secret Ingredient: His "Perfect Bog Fondue" recipe is one of these.
Stepford Snarker: From the way he talks about the fall of Shrewthicket, it's implied that some of his dry wit is the only way he can keep going without falling into total depression.

MOUSE
P.1. FOR HIRE
Name: John Brown
Age: 56
Occupation: Pub Owner
Last seen: Little & Big
Affix photograph
CLASSIFIED
Background:
John Brown is a shrew who has eaten cheese from many a stove. He hails from Shrewthicket, a town that once experienced significant prosperity. However, the town was destroyed, and John departed to wander around the surrounding swamps and everglades, He tried his hand at several jobs, including a farm hand, blue cheese dealer and even cheeselegger. When this became too dangerous, he found himself in Mouseburg and opened Little & Big, a "shrew-sized" bar where everyone was welcome.
John is always hanging out at the bar, located just behind Jack Pepper's office. He is a real titan of hard work and has seen a lot in his life, though he doesn't like to talk about his past too much and often changes the subject.
However, John has millions of old-timey stories at his disposal and repeats that he "ain't afraid of no work."