Ortolani is largely portrayed as callous, hotheaded and devoid of emotion, but was shown to possess signs of some positive characteristics, amid other signs of an internal struggle as the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison began to set in as a reality. Throughout the first episode, Ortolani is seen to have somewhat of an admiration for new inmate Kareem Said, whom he watches during his lectures to the Muslim inmates; he later tells Said, "It's too bad you're of the wrong color," after Said attempts to connect with him in a hallway before taking off. He is also forced to sponsor new inmate, Tobias Beecher whom he takes no interest in, but does offer some advice about surviving in prison. When Schillinger attempts to congratulate him for his assault on Keane, believing it to be racially motivated, Ortolani makes it clear that he does not want his admiration, nor does he respect or agree with his racist attitude. In addition, he is shown to care deeply for his two children, telling his wife Ginny that he does not want her to bring them to Oz again. He also cares very much for his wife and wishes for her to live a normal life, but has difficulty in expressing his feelings. During his interrogation, inmate Bob Rebadow says that God told him that Ortolani wanted to kill himself for being in prison for the rest of his life, away from his wife and kids. By smothering Sanchez and allowing himself to be placed in the hole, he knew this would happen.