EAT EAT EAT EAT
-- Narrator (Part 1, Chapter 1 paragraph 1)

Importance: As the novel begins, the thin man later identified as Tom Padgett is driven on by an insatiable hunger. No matter how much he eats, he cannot seem to shake his hunger. As the reader later learns, this is because the man has a colony of killer worms inside him. Nevertheless, the crushing desire for food—and the desperation to get away from Edgerton—lead the thin man on to Falstaff Island and Troop 52.

Could Tim possibly leave him alone and starving a few feet outside the cabin? Could he live with that stain on his soul? No.
-- Narrator (Part 1, Chapter 5 paragraph 43)

Importance: The arrival of the thin man presents Tim with a startling and difficult choice. As a scoutmaster and a human being, Tim is sworn to protect the scouts in his care. As a doctor and a human being, Tim feels a need to try to help the thin...