Hector Zeroni is a likeable character for sure. In his adventure in Camp Green Lake, he overcomes a lot of challenges with Stanley, his friend. Their friendship faces a lot of obstacles, but these two people are able to overcome them finally because of some good qualities they possess, such as their kindness, thoughtfulness and intelligence.
Zero is a kind person. In Camp Green Lake, other campers always tease him. They think Zero is a stupid person. In their opinion, Zero’s brain is empty and they do not respect him.
‘He is a mole,’ Zigzag said. ‘I think he eats dirt.’
Zero tolerates their teasing and mocking and never fights back for his own. This incident reveals his kindness. When Stanley is taken to the Warden, Zero helps him to dig his hole. This proves Zero’s kind character as well.
Besides being kind, Zero is thoughtful and caring to his friend, Stanley. This quality is very precious. After he sees Stanley’s difficulty in teaching him, he offers to help Stanley to dig part of his hole every day. What a thoughtful person he is to try to understand his friend’s problem and offer a solution to it. In the later part of the story, when Stanley and Zero are leaving God’s thumb, crossing the desert and heading towards Camp Green Lake, Zero says he is not thirsty.
Zero is not only being a good person but also an intelligent person. He learns the twenty-six alphabets so fast that makes Stanley feel a bit shocked. In one situation, when Zero is questioned by the mean Warden, he answers her question very rationally.
‘How about h-a-t?’ asked the Warden. Stanley hadn’t taught him the ‘h’ sound either. Zero concentrated hard and said, ‘Chat’. All the counselors laughed.’
‘If Mr.Pendanski only thought about it, he’d realize it was very logical for Zero to think that the letter ‘h’ sound ‘ch’.’
It is shown clearly from the above two quotes that Zero has a very strong logical thinking ability. They also prove his intelligence. Even though he does not know the word, he is able to make a close guess.
Zero and Stanley’s adventure is interesting and exciting for sure. It can arouse the readers’ interest. But don’t forget to appreciate the good quality of the character. Zero is such a kind, thoughtful, intelligent friend who deserves a round of big applause.