the rouged-corpse look of late-stage detox
The man, like Tiny Ewell, has the rouged-corpse look that attends detox from late-stage alcoholism.
Context
The roommate as a preview of the disease's terminus: the rouged-corpse flush of late-stage alcoholic detox, the hepatitis-yellow beneath it, and a man who spends the entire day raptly turning the air-conditioner dial, thoroughly entertained by gushing vents. The bottom looks, from here, like a mind with nothing left to want but the smallest available stimulation.