Complacency

The dangers of complacency are demonstrated throughout the novel. Kester is only 12 when the novel starts, and he lives a very complacent life. Unable to speak, Kester takes abuse from his peers and Doctor Fredericks because he is unwilling to fight for himself. However, Kester still manages to break rules in order to hang out with the cockroach and feed the bug formula. This signals, from the beginning, that Kester’s complacency is something fragile and quick to break.

The first antagonist that Kester comes across is Captain Skuldiss, who lures both Kester and Polly into complacency with his faux-jovial tone and his lies. Although Captain Skuldiss is a stranger with a creepy demeanor, he speaks in baby-talk and walks with a set of crutches that make him appear fragile and weak. However, his crutches are actually guns, and his baby-talk hides his deadly motivations. When...