Lord Yenaro was a classic impoverished lord; he was a young ghem whose grandfather was regarded as "the general who lost the Barrayaran War". As a result of his questionable status in Cetagandan society and his resulting poverty, he hated Barrayarans, particularly those with the name Vorkosigan. As a young ghem in a world where only the elderly had power, he was frustrated by his inability to make anything useful of his talents.