“The boy’s face was pale, freckled, mushy, with small, deep-set eyes and a fat lower lip that hung like a tire tube. He looked distrustful, a dog that had been hit by too many rolled-up newspapers.”

When Eric Hayes first meets a ketchup-covered David Hallenback, the latter is described as not conventionally attractive. One of Bystander’s main themes is how physical appearance plays a significant role in middle school hierarchies (and beyond).

“Griffin had a way about him, a certain kind of natural leadership that Eric respected. Words came easily to Griffin, his smile was bright and winning. Eric felt almost envious. Griffin seemed to possess a quality he lacked, a presence.”

At first, Griffin Connelly’s charm and self-confidence impress Eric. However, he soon learns that Griffin uses these qualities, those of a natural born leader, to get away with bullying students who are weaker than him.

“The ball, Eric. […] You don’t mind if I keep it for a while, do you? As a souvenir?”

This scene foreshadows one of Griffin’s favored bullying tactics—stealing from his targets, often under the guise of friendship. Taking something that a victim values and keeping it as a souvenir reminds him of his power over them.