Little Brother - Marcus Yallow

Well... Marcus is the protagonist in Little Brother. The entire book is written in the first person perspective. From Marcus' perspective, specifically. From the very beginning of the book we find out that Marcus is a smart kid. Though not necessarily an academically superb student, he is quick-thinking and able to get around "the system". Quickly, he shows that he is adept with technology and able to use it for his own purposes despite the school's tight surveillance. This affinity for breaking the rules also makes Marcus a trouble maker. It is shown that he and the school administrators are not on the best of terms. Through his interactions with Darryl, we find out that Marcus is in fact the leader of his group. He may not claim the position, but the way that Darryl goes along with what Marcus wants proves it.
During the attack and his subsequent abduction we find out that Marcus is stubborn. Even though he knows that he should cooperate with the DHS, he doesn't. He sticks by his views on his rights to privacy and as a citizen. But, the fact that he believes in his rights and the legal system shows that he is very naive. Because he doesn't immediately give in to the DHS we can see that he isn't afraid enough of them to do whatever they ask. That, in turn, shows that he is naive enough to believe that they would not truly hurt him.

However, after a few days being held captive, he loses all that innocence, easily giving into the demands of the DHS. What seems to be the cause of this change is him being made to wet himself. This act of humiliation seems to change Marcus forever. Afterward, he is wary and suspicious of everything. Even when his release is tangible and he can see the outside world, he continues to think that it is all a trick, about to be taken from him. This newfound wariness is seen throughout the duration of the book. Proof of this is when the night after he goes home, he cannot sleep. His paranoia that the DHS is watching him keeps him up all night and so he creates the X-net.

As the book progresses, Marcus shows that he is not the most capable leader. He has the skills to be a leader however. He can easily gather people together and spread information. All those on the X-net are also loyal to him and he has a large influence over them. But, despite his natural ability to be a leader, his decisions are not always the best. They seem to work out alright at first, but they always blow up in his face later on. The best example is the Vampire pseudo-LARPing. Though it was good idea as a distraction that was required of him and the kids had fun, the result was disastrous. People got trampled, crushed, pepper sprayed, and Marcus got separated from Ange.

Marcus' main motivation throughout the book is Darryl. His best friend from baby-hood, when Darryl gets stabbed and abducted by the DHS, Marcus vows to get his revenge. Though his motives are pure in the beginning, soon they become much more ambitious; to take down the DHS. At some points, it even seems that he forgets about Darryl for a little bit. In the end though, he proves that he is a true friend and tells his story, thus saving Darryl.

-Lina Wu >.<