Willy Harris is the name of the character who deceived Walter Lee. Willy Harris and Walter Lee are characters on Lorraine Hansberry’s play entitle A Raisin in the Sun. It premiered on March 11, 1959 and covers the story of Walter Lee and his family in Washington Park Subdivision, South Side, Chicago.
Although Willy Harris never appears on stage, it was made clear that he was Walter’s Lee’s friend and business partner who swindled him out of his investments in their business – the liquor store. He disappeared without a trace with all the money he stole and left Walter Lee in a state of hopelessness, despair and financial ruin. Ruth Younger, Walter Lee’s wife, never liked Willy Harris and even said that Willy Harris was a “good-for-nothing loudmouth.”