Joseph is a young, hotheaded, impetuous, and confrontational young man. Quick to violently respond to the slightest provocation, Joseph would often get into brawls growing up; prior to the events of the story, he had been imprisoned seven times and expelled once from school for fighting. Having no respect for authority save of his grandmother's, and later Lisa Lisa's, Joseph has antagonized policemen and mafiosi alike. Joseph is also a foul-mouthed individual.