 Lester Burnham is a middle @-@ aged advertising executive and magazine writer who despises his job . He is unhappily married to Carolyn , a neurotic yet fiercely ambitious real estate broker ; their teenaged daughter , Jane , abhors her parents and has low self @-@ esteem . The Burnhams ' new neighbors are retired United States Marine Corps Colonel Frank Fitts and his near @-@ catatonic wife , Barbara . Their teenaged son , Ricky , constantly films his surroundings with a camcorder , collecting hundreds of recordings on videotapes in his bedroom . His job as a part @-@ time bar caterer serves as a front for his secret marijuana dealing . Col. Fitts is a strict disciplinarian who previously sent Ricky to a military school and briefly committed him to a psychiatric hospital . Jim Olmeyer and Jim Berkley , a gay couple who live nearby , welcome the family to the neighborhood ; the homophobic Col. Fitts angrily asks Ricky " why these faggots have to rub it in your face . " 
 Lester Burnham <a href='drop_aux' title='1'><mark>is</mark></a>a middle @-@ aged advertising executive and magazine writer <a href='null_relcl' title='2'><mark>who</mark></a><a href='uninflect' title='3'><mark>despises</mark></a> his job . He <a href='drop_aux' title='4'><mark>is</mark></a>unhappily married to Carolyn , a neurotic yet fiercely ambitious real estate broker ; their teenaged daughter , Jane , <a href='uninflect' title='5'><mark>abhors</mark></a> her parents and <a href='got' title='6'><mark>has</mark></a> low self @-@ esteem . The Burnhams <a href='null_genetive' title='7'><mark>'</mark></a>new neighbors are retired United States Marine Corps Colonel Frank Fitts and his near @-@ catatonic wife , Barbara . Their teenaged son , Ricky , constantly <a href='uninflect' title='8'><mark>films</mark></a> his surroundings with a camcorder , collecting hundreds of recordings on videotapes in his bedroom . His job as a part @-@ time bar caterer <a href='uninflect' title='9'><mark>serves</mark></a> as a front for his secret marijuana dealing . Col. Fitts <a href='drop_aux' title='10'><mark>is</mark></a>a strict disciplinarian <a href='null_relcl' title='11'><mark>who</mark></a>previously sent Ricky to a military school and briefly committed him to a psychiatric hospital . Jim Olmeyer and Jim Berkley , a gay couple <a href='null_relcl' title='12'><mark>who</mark></a>live nearby , welcome the family to the neighborhood ; the homophobic Col. Fitts angrily <a href='uninflect' title='13'><mark>asks</mark></a> Ricky " why these faggots have to rub it in your face . " 
Lester Burnham a middle @-@ aged advertising executive and magazine writer despise his job . He unhappily married to Carolyn , a neurotic yet fiercely ambitious real estate broker ; their teenaged daughter , Jane , abhor her parents and got low self @-@ esteem . da Burnhams  new neighbors r retired United States Marine Corps Colonel Frank Fitts and his near @-@ catatonic wife , Barbara . Their teenaged son , Ricky , constantly film his surroundings with a camcorder , collecting hundreds of recordings on videotapes in his bedroom . His job as a part @-@ time bar caterer serve as a front for his secret marijuana dealin . Col. Fitts a strict disciplinarian previously sent Ricky to a military school and briefly committed him to a psychiatric hospital . Jim Olmeyer and Jim Berkley , a gay couple live nearby , welcome the family to tdaneighborhood ; thdaomophobic Col. Fitts angrily ask Ricky " why these faggots gotta rub it in ur face . "