Manny's hat is a means to let Brother Seamus see what's happening. He also has a Cubicle of Public Privacy, which is activated in THIS POST. The Half Nelsons were all the same level as the player, but with NPC stats. Manny is an investigator, and Ness is a rogue (who I believe has Apprentice's Cheating Gloves). All are non-archetype.
I try to avoid having NPCs outshine the heroes, even if they have fun custom items. I actually came up with prices for the hats:
6000 = Hat of Greater Self (M)
9000 = Hat of Greater Small Self (S)
8000 = Hat of Tricks (M)