Sentence:  And, (4), we're not really even seeing “characters” at all: it's not Major Frank Burns, pathetic self-important <WSD>putz</WSD> from Fort Wayne, Indiana; it's Larry Linville of Ojai, California, actor stoic enough to endure thousands of letters (still coming in, even in syndication) from pseudo-voyeurs berating him for being a <WSD>putz</WSD> from Indiana. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Jerk.