“But a thread is easy to break. So not a thread but a chain. A strong one. And I was the kid with the shackle clamped around his wrist.”

This quote introduces the concept of fate to the narrative. The question of whether Charlie’s life is controlled by free will, fate, or some combination of the two lingers until the end of the novel.

“A brave man helps. A coward just gives presents.”

Mr. Bowditch speaks this phrase several times. Its meaning remains opaque until Charlie visits Empis and learns that Mr. Bowditch formed relationships with the Empirians before abandoning them after Flight Killer rose to power. Even though he brought them many useful gifts from his reality, Mr. Bowditch feels remorse about choosing safety and comfort over helping his friends.

“‘You’re a good kid, Charlie. Not sure what I did to deserve you.’

Considering what I was holding back—not only about Mr. Bowditch but some of the shit I’d pulled with Bertie—that made me a little ashamed.”

Charlie believes that his past mistakes preclude him from being categorized as a good person. As he matures, he learns to cope with his own capacity to do both good and bad things, and he is no longer plagued by shame.