Johann's story is very relevant to the class split in The Circus. The 'dumbest' animals (those who don't have particular talents, those who have duller colours, those who can't function like regular performers, those who are seen as more dangerous, etc) are classed as 'Beasts'. They sleep in cages or closed-off areas, are made to jump through hoops, and the creepy/scary-looking ones are used as freaks in the many freak shows.

Johann is not okay with this. Johann is smart enough to be a performer.

He's just big, and a little clumsy. He can walk on two legs, but he's more comfortable on four. He does have a bit of a temper, but he doesn't mean any harm. He hates being treated how he is.

He has zero trust in those who run The Circus, despite being born there. But he still follows the rules, because he wants to leave the freak show and become a performer.