Character Clues

Character Analysis

Actions

Actions really do mean more than words when it comes to the characters in The Rules of Survival. Take Nikki, for instance. She's always going on and on about how much she loves her children and would do anything for them… but when it comes down to it, she's an abysmal excuse for a parent. She is abusive, negligent, and only cares about her children in terms of what they can do for her.

Murdoch, on the other hand, is a man of few words, but he's willing to act right away in order to help the kids and make sure that they're in a safer situation. He doesn't talk to Matthew endlessly about how he's going to save them; he just goes straight to Aunt Bobbie and Ben and starts planning.

Family Life

You can learn a lot about different characters from the way that they treat their family. Nikki, for example, is an awful person when it comes to her blood relations, mistreating her kids and constantly mocking Aunt Bobbie. It doesn't matter if Nikki is nice to the men that she seduces; we know that she is a bad person because she's mean to her kids and sister.

And although Matthew doubts his own abilities, he is actually pretty courageous and honorable. He stays on to bear the brunt of Nikki's abuse in order to keep his siblings safe, and he always thinks of Callie and Emmy first. He's an amazing big brother, so lost and scared though he may feel, we see through his actions that he has a fierce heart.