Antagonist Profile 2016

The antagonist in this story is an entity I’m calling The State (at least to begin with). This is a steampunk tale and they are the oppressive government of Capercairn. They dole out the jobs to people - mostly by family social stature. Those from low-income families will receive the lower income jobs. Phineas Cavendish was born to a tinker and a seamstress. Shortly after he was born it was decided he would be an airship pilot for the city (cab driver, basically). The State controls every facet of the lives of all of the people it commands.
The State has also created an industrial society rich in coal burning. This has created deplorable living conditions for the people of Capercairn. There is no sunlight and the weather does not change. It cannot change. The air is too heavy with smog and soot. There are no plants and little in the way of animals, other than humans - most of whom wear masks as they venture from home to work and back.
School is a necessity for youth until the age of 17, when they are sent off to learn the trade they have been preparing for. They leave their families for a period of 6 months, and then are free to ply their trade where they see fit throughout the city - but they do not have the choice to change vocations. Should they live until the age of 60 (which most do not), they are allowed to change vocations into one that is less demanding, if they desire. Retirement is only for the wealthy and is often short-lived. The State believes that if a person has enough money that they no longer need to work, they should be paying more to The State. And ways to do that are found on a daily basis.
For infirm children, such as Phineas’ son Moseley, there is little for them to do. They are often cast aside be society. For that reason they stay at home as long as they live.
Carby Gorse is the Head of The State. All of the rules are his, and the punishments for disobeying those rules are enforced at his command, regardless of the truth.
Gorse has never been married. His parents left him as a ward of the state. As he grew up, he vowed he would take control... not to right any wrongs, but to ensure that no one would ever take advantage of him again. He wanted control - of everything and everyone. He rose up through the military ranks, eventually taking the helm. That was a day the citizens of Capercairn would rue for years to come. He has one mechanical forearm and hand. He lost his arm near the elbow in a piece of machinery while working in the military, but was able to commandeer a prosthetic using relationships with nefarious wharf rats he had met on the docks in the ship yards. He also used those people to help his rise to power. From there, he abandoned or killed them all.