The book opens with fear—“Elliot Sutton swallows the sick, sour fear that threatened to engulf him” (1)—and ends with fear—“I’m afraid, but I’m still going through with it” (181)—with no break in between. Fear, to varying degrees, is what guides each character along their path. For Elliot and Ben, who have suffered terrible abuse and humiliation, fear is at the forefront of everything: fear of being targeted again, fear of rejection, and fear of the future.

When Elliot tries to hide who he really is by inventing a new personality, his angst takes on a different form: the fear of being found out. This fear is equally destructive, keeping him constantly on edge and suspicious. For example, when Mrs. Davidson tries to help him, he assumes she knows his secret because she used the word “mask.” His reaction is visceral, and he is unable to pull back from his anxiety and accept her help. Elliot’s overriding fear works to isolate him when he jumps to the conclusion that Ben has set him up:

Panic gripped Elliot, crushing his chest. This is a trap. I’ve been set up. Wild ideas churned: Ben was a Guardian, or he was a Watcher, or he’d found out about Elliot and was going to blackmail him (132).