“I’m getting close to level five myself. Joe says I’m progressing really fast. He says sometimes the kids who’ve resisted the most change the fastest once they’ve learned their lessons. I understand what he means. At sixteen we think we know everything, but the truth is we’re too young and immature to really know anything. Like yesterday I had to report a level one for whispering at lunch, but he should have known better. If he ever wants to be more than a minimum wagers, he’s going to have to shape up”

The quote above illustrates how Lake Harmony has literally beaten their indoctrination into Garret. When Garret first arrived their he was defiant and resisted Lake Harmony’s indoctrination, because he knew their system was unstable.

Garret tried to escape with two others across the US/Canadian border. However, “the transporters” who were pursing them sunk their “skiff”(small aluminum boat).Garret faced a dilemma, make it to Canada and have complete freedom, out of Lake Harmony’s jurisdiction & live with the fact that two people died, or Go back save his pursers & live with a clean conscience  ,and get sent back to Lake Harmony.

  Garret Chose option two. He couldn’t bear the fact that two people would’ve died because of him. Garret gets sent back to Lake Harmony to go through it all over again, this time his will was broken.

Garret becomes a chaperone to the newer Lake Harmony youths. He stays out of trouble, and has become quite obedient. The changes from defiance to obedience just goes to show how easily someone’s personality “can be torn down, and rebuilt”. Strasser illustrates this effectively.

Write about how a character changes and whats purpose it serves.