WARNING: Spoilers for The Stand (miniseries and novel) ahead
In The Stand and the Stephen King Universe, the Trashcan Man is one of the most memorable (and tragic) characters, and has a special relationship with the novel's primary antagonist, Randall Flagg. Randall Flagg regards Trashy as something special, despite his mental illness and the misgivings of his other followers. That said, even Flagg doesn't realize the crucial role the Trashcan Man is to play in the final confrontation that gives The Stand its title.
The one thing that Randall Flagg values above all else is absolute loyalty. Lloyd Henreid's eternally grateful nature is the reason Flagg makes him his right-hand man. The same goes for the Trashcan Man. Flagg sends Trashy visions of fire and people incinerating, promising him that he will have the Great Fire he's always wanted, and the Trashcan Man gives Flagg exactly what he wants, gibbering, "My life for you," over and over. Nevertheless, what Flagg fails to realize is that the Trashcan Man's loyalty may come at a price. Randall Flagg sees someone who can bring him the Big Fire, a nuclear warhead capable of leveling Mother Abigail and everyone at the Boulder Free Zone. However, the Trashcan Man has a tragic past and a severe mental illness that's difficult to keep in check.
The Trashcan Man, or Donald Merwin Elbert, got his nickname at a very young age because he started lighting fires in people's trashcans and running away. When he was five-years-old, his father had a psychotic break and killed a bartender, followed by Donald's older brothers. However, Donald's mother was able to escape with him. Donald was never the same after that, and was institutionalized at age eleven, where he underwent electroshock therapy. After living a life of being constantly taunted and abused - including instances of sexual assault he endured in prison after being convicted for arson - the Trashcan Man finds freedom in the post-superflu world. First, he blows up the oil tankers in Powtanville, Indiana. Then, he burns Gary, Indiana to the ground, suffering permanent injuries in both instances. However, despite his unstable mental state, Flagg regards the Trashcan Man as one of his most important followers.
One of the primary themes running through The Stand is the idea of fate and predestination. When Mother Abigail asks Stewart Redman and his friends to set out on foot to confront Randall Flagg and his followers, there's a sense that everyone's fate has already been decided. Events have been put in action, and they will unfold how they are supposed to. Interestingly, Trashcan Man is a big part of this. Because Flagg values loyalty over all else, he doesn't see the potential danger the Trashcan Man poses to himself. In King's book, some of Flagg's people tease Trash, which causes him to sabotage the airfield, blowing up most of Flagg's planes and the pilots to fly them. When Flagg hears about this, he's saddened, but agrees with Lloyd that the Trashcan Man needs to be "put down," although he asks Lloyd to do it quickly and painlessly.
In a lot of ways, the Trashcan Man represents the chaos and destruction that Flagg values, but even he is unable to control. Flagg acts as if he can see everything and knows what people are going to do. He sees the approaching travelers from the Boulder Free Zone, but he can't see how they could possibly stop him. And yet, Mother A's followers trust her enough to walk into the lion's den, as it were, believing that events will somehow turn out in their favor.
In the end, the real reason the Trashcan Man is so important to Flagg may have more to do with putting into place predestined events that have already been decided by the divine force (perhaps Gan) than with the potential he sees in exploiting Trash. It may be Flagg's arrogance and over-confidence in his ability to control someone like the Trashcan Man that is his downfall, although how exactly things play out in The Stand on CBS All Access remains to be seen as the final episodes unfold in 2021.
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