The Rules of Survival Characters

Trust No One As the protagonist in The Rules of Survival, Matthew is also the oldest child in the Walsh household. Because of this, he's had to put up with Nikki's lies and abuse for the longe...

Mommy Dearest Nikki Walsh could give Joan Crawford a run for her money—she is the ultimate in unpredictable and violent moms. Instead of having warm and fuzzy memories about his mother, Matthew's...

Superman Even though most people may just see Murdoch as a normal dude, the Walsh kids recognize him for what he really is—a savior. When Murdoch enters their lives, his presence makes Nikki more...

Dreaming Big As Matthew's younger sister, Callie has lived through all of the tough stuff, too, but unlike Matthew, she's never had to do it alone. Because of this, she knows that she'll always at...

Emmy is the youngest of the Walsh kids, and so she is the most protected when it comes to Nikki's tantrums and violence. She also doesn't live through much of Nikki's abuse because Nikki loses cust...

At the beginning of the novel, Aunt Bobbie barely figures into the story. She may live in the same house as Nikki and the kids (though their sections of the house are separated), but she keeps to h...

Although Ben is Matthew and Callie's biological father, he hasn't always been around to take care of them. After he and Nikki split up, Ben basically just sends the child support check—but he's n...

Julie Lindemann's story is pretty freaking sad. She doesn't appear much, mostly because Matthew doesn't come into contact with her more than once or twice, but she is Murdoch's neighbor and friend...