Larry's view of himself is far worse than an outsider's perception of him.  In his mind, Larry is a freak-show attraction--an ugly hybrid of man and bat better left lurking in the shadows. 

Larry is all too content to remain in hiding, until his father, now a fearsome, 12-foot spectre, appears to his son and urges him to visit his mother in the hospital.  It's at his mother's bedside that Larry discovers, much to his chagrin, that she is now telepathic. 

It's also at the hospital that Larry first meets Gordon Tindrum, a patient covered in scars and wrapped in a  body cast.  Tindrum tells Larry about Hair Dependents Anonymous, a support group for people with "problem hair."

Larry reluctantly attends an HDA meeting, where he encounters Jack Jackson, a big man with an even bigger beard.  But it's the snake living in his beard that proves to be the biggest surpise of all.