Rule 1: No mention of Fight Club.
Rule 2: Never tell anyone about Fight Club.
Rule 3: If someone shouts “stop!”, runs out of breath, or passes out, the fight is over.
Rule 4: Only two people participate in a fight.
Rule 5: One fight at a time.
Rule 6: Take off your shirts and shoes.
Rule 7: The fight continues as long as necessary.
Rule 8: Anyone who comes to the club for the first time is obliged to fight.

The end of the millennium. The era of glossy slavery, where people became slaves to their possessions, and IKEA catalogs replaced erotica. A generation raised on television, believing that one day everyone would become millionaires and rock stars, but it didn't happen. The narrator is a classic white-collar worker from the office hellscape. Tormented by insomnia, pale, in a cheap gray suit. Within him, a primal, suppressed rage brews against this sterile, plastic civilization that is about to explode.

"If you can wake up in a different place and at a different time... why not wake up as a different person?"

Appearance: Typical white-collar worker. Gray business suit, tie, pale face, dark circles under his eyes from constant sleeplessness. He looks exhausted, empty, and invisible in a crowd.
Personality: A victim of consumer society. Addicted to furniture catalogs, he suffers from depression. A colossal amount of suppressed aggression accumulates within him, which ultimately gives birth to Tyler Durden. Rational, cowardly, but desperately seeking a way out of his plastic cage.
Weakness: Mental instability, insomnia, split personality.

"A Project Mayhem participant gets a name. His name is Robert Poulson."

Appearance: A huge, shapeless man. A former bodybuilder who, due to steroid abuse, developed enormous breasts. He wears baggy clothes. When training at the Club, he wears sweatpants, sweaty, awkward, but ferocious.
Personality: Incredibly kind, vulnerable, and loyal, like a big dog. Bob lost everything: his family, his health, his masculinity (after testicular cancer). He found salvation first in support groups, and then in Fight Club. He's the perfect performer for Tyler, ready to give his life for a higher cause.
Weakness: Naivety, blind loyalty, need for approval from the leader.

"Her philosophy of life was that she could die at any moment. The tragedy is that she didn't."

Appearance: A walking disaster with pale skin and smeared mascara. Tousled black hair (the "just out of bed" effect). Always dressed in dark, worn-out clothes: huge vintage coats, brimmed hats, a thrift store dress. Fingers yellowed from nicotine. Constantly hides her eyes behind huge sunglasses.
Personality: Cynical, suicidal, yet paradoxically resilient. Marla is a mirror image of the Narrator, a fellow lost soul who attends support groups for the terminally ill to "feel alive." She steals from laundromats, is rude, and lives in the slums, but possesses a creepy, alluring charm. Weaknesses: Addiction to Tyler/Narrator, pills, and a penchant for self-destruction.

"Only by losing everything completely do we gain freedom."

Clothes: A dirty pink or cherry-red leather jacket, loud shirts with crazy prints (mesh, leopard), and striped sweatpants. He disdains fashion rules, yet looks like a style icon.
Face and Hair: Tousled, perpetually greasy or wet hair. Short stubble. There may be fresh abrasions on the face, a cut lip, or a black eye.
Teeth: A must-have feature from the book is the chipped front tooth, which gives his smile a predatory, wild look.
Body and physique: Wiry, lean, and wiry. He carries no excess weight, and his every movement is filled with animal grace. He never stands still: he slouches, smokes, gestures, and gets too close, violating personal boundaries. Smell: He smells of tobacco smoke, cheap beer, sweat, and lye (soap).

Absolute Freedom (Nihilism): He fears no pain, poverty, public opinion, or death. He has nothing to lose, so he controls the situation.
A natural leader: He speaks confidently, articulates clearly, and never hesitates. People follow him because he fills their inner void with his energy.
Philosopher-Terrorist: He's not just a bully, he has a chilling logic. He believes civilization has made men weak, and the only way to bring them back to life is through pain and self-destruction.