“I was too much of a wuss to be a friend to him, out of fear of the taunting being directed at me.”

Ben’s narrative intrusion within the story points out that, when the story begins, Ben does not actually dislike Nathaniel. Without the social pressure Ben feels to distance himself from Nathaniel, Ben might actually be friends with him. This statement characterizes Ben as being so fearful of rejection by his peers that he has trouble The Importance of Open-Mindedness.

“Are you for REAL? Does the pact mean NOTHING to you?”

Adam’s angry reaction to Mikey’s decision to turn back is ironic. Just a short time later, Adam himself turns back, as well, because he is worried about getting in trouble for crossing Toad Canyon Bridge. This incident demonstrates that most of the boys’ commitment to one another and to the pact is more demonstrative than genuine.

“I think I’m going to fill up the whole front of my bag with patches. It’s going to look SO cool in a few years when it’s completely covered.”

Nathaniel’s eagerness to show off his Space Camp patches and his belief that they will look “SO cool” characterize him as having a childlike sense of wonder and being slightly naive. The novel characterizes him as a sweet-natured and open young man who exists in a near-perpetual state of wonder about the natural world, particularly about space. His character helps shape the text’s arguments about Cultivating Positivity and a Sense of Wonder.