Milo Minderbinder
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Lieutenant Milo Minderbinder is a 27-year-old fictional character in Joseph Heller's classic 1961 novel Catch-22. Milo is the mess hall officer at the U.S. Army Air Corps base in which Catch-22 takes place before he becomes obsessed with expanding mess operations and trading goods for the profits of the syndicate (in which he and everyone else in the air force "has a share"). Milo is a satire of the modern businessman, and beyond that as the living representation of the Capitalist System, as he has no allegiance to any country, person or principle unless it pays him.
Milo, like most characters in Catch-22, is the subject of his own chapter (chapter 24) but is mentioned much earlier. He is one of the main characters in the novel. His most interesting attributes are his complete, mercenary amorality and absurd logic in the operations of his enterprise.
Milo's enterprise becomes known as "M & M Enterprises", with the two M's standing for his initials and the "&" added to dispel the myth that the enterprise is a one-man operation. Milo travels across the world, though mainly the Mediterranean, trying to buy and sell goods at a profit through black market channels. Everyone in the camp has a "share", which Milo uses to defend his actions, stating what is good for the company is good for all. Milo even begins contracting missions for the Germans, fighting on both sides at Orvieto, and bombing his own squadron at Pianosa.
In typical Catch-22 satirical fashion, Milo's business is incredibly profitable, with the exception of his attempts to sell chocolate-covered cotton.
Milo is a friend of the novel's protagonist, Yossarian, tending to trust him more than he trusts anyone else. However, he continually ignores Yossarian's pleas for help because of his preoccupation with running M & M Enterprises. He ultimately betrays Yossarian by striking a deal with Colonel Cathcart: Yossarian's squadron must fly additional missions, and Milo gets the credit. The deal with the Germans to bomb the US Pianosa airbase with their own US planes leads to the death of Nately and thus to the hatred of Nately's whore for Yossarian (since he tells her of Nately's death) and the series of events that culminates in Yossarian's escape. Milo does not exhibit the slightest trace of remorse for any of this, being more concerned with finding the next, more profitable scam. When Nately's Whore's Kid Sister goes missing, for example, Milo abandons Yossarian's attempt to find her after a business opportunity presents itself.
Jon Voight portrayed Milo in the 1970 film adaptation of the novel directed by Mike Nichols. The character is also featured in Heller's 1994 novel Closing Time, a sequel to Catch-22.