Quote 7
Cole felt no anger, but he was tired of trying to prove himself to Edwin. He was tired of trying to prove himself to the world. "There are two choices," he said. "Give Peter the same chance I've had here on the island, or give up and watch him commit suicide. Which would you pick?" (25.9)
Cole's been working super hard to change himself, but not everyone is convinced of his progress. He knows that he's going to have to do more—especially for Peter—if he's going to make things right.
Quote 8
This Spirit Bear didn't have any right to stare at him. It didn't have pride, dignity, and honor like Edwin had said. It was just a mangy animal. Cole flung the rock, even though the bear was nearly a quarter mile away. "Keep staring, I'll kill you," he shouted. (5.17)
Instead of being in awe of Spirit Bear or respecting the creature's sanctity, Cole just sees it as another obstacle in his life to destroy. He tries to kill Spirit Bear, which is why it lashes out at him, almost killing him.
Quote 9
"I deserved to die," he said. "They didn't. But that was the first time I was really scared that I might die. That was when I first started thinking about my life and cared about something besides myself. And that was when Edwin and Garvey found me." (25.33)
Cole's near-death experience is actually something he now treasures instead of regrets. By almost dying, he was able to reexamine his life and make some meaningful changes toward being a better person.