The MBSers all have pretty strong principles: honor, virtue, integrity, good character, honesty—yeah, each of them has all of these. But here's the interesting thing: every member of the crew also has a bout of self-doubt—yes, even Mr. B, who worries that he's placing the kids in danger and wonders about the ethics of it—and when they do, it's their principles that pull them through. In The Mysterious Benedict Society, principles cure what ails you.
Questions About Principles
- Are principles by definition good? Can someone have really strong bad principles, or does being a principled person necessarily mean that someone is honorable, virtuous, honest, and the like?
- Is Constance a principled character? What does she seem to value and how do you know?
- When Reynie, who obviously values honesty, encourages Sticky to lie to Mr. Curtain about Martina, is he compromising his principles? Why or why not?
- What do you think Mr. Benedict means when he says these four kids have an "unusually powerful love for the truth" (5.151)? Is that really such a rare quality? Do you think you have a love for the truth? Why or why not?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
In order to beat Mr. Curtain, the MBSers have to compromise their principles.
Mr. Curtain is just as principled as Mr. Benedict; he has different values, but he holds to them just as resolutely as his twin brother holds to his.