Rueven Maltrers, the protagonist is a character going through stages and phases. Like all normal teenagers, Rueven is going through change. He is now changing the way he thinks the way he sees others, and friends.
             The most developing character from the novel is Rueven Malter. One of the ways that he develops is in his understanding of friendship. Rueven was taught that other religions were not acceptable and it was impossible to be friends with other people who have different beliefs. But Ruevens father later encourages his friendship with Danny Saunders, but he is wary of it because Danny is Hassid, and regards regular Orthodox Jews as apikorism because of the teachings of Danny's father. "I see you do not know about Danny and the library." Page 84
             Reuvens most difficult conflict is the one with in him. Reuven has set images in his mind since birth. He was taught a certain way and that's the way it should be. Then one day it all got turned around and Rueven now had to decide what was right and that it was time for him to grow up. Rueven contemplates decisions in his mind, between helping Danny address his father and learning that it is okay to be friends with a Hassid.
             Reuven adjust well in his conflict on weather it is good that he becomes friends with Danny. Rueven goes from not being able to have a civil conversation with Danny to becoming best friends with whom he spends all of his free time, studies Talmud, and goes to college. Rueven truly grows because he learns, s his father says, "what it is to be a friend." Another way Rueven over comes an internal conflict is that he learns to appreciate different people and their ideas. He starts out hating Hasidism because it was the "correct" thing to do, even though his father keeps telling him that it's okay to disagree with ideas, but hating a person because of what they are is intolerable.
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