Why do you think the residents wouldn't answer Thomas' questions when he arrived? Do you think this would have changed anything if they would have clued him in?

Thomas's exposure to the Glade comes alongside our own. As he learns more about this strange place and the children who inhabit it, we do as well, solidifying our connection to the protagonist. We wish to learn as much about the Glade as Thomas does. Thomas's amnesia as well as the children not answering his questions ratchets up the tension and the mystery. It serves to heighten the mystery and provides Thomas with a motivation: to escape and learn about who he is and where he came from. This instant victimization of Thomas additionally allows the reader to sympathize and identify with him. The reader wishes to obtain the same answers that Thomas does.

Thomas's exposure to the Glade comes alongside our own. As he learns more about this strange place and the children who inhabit it, we do as well, solidifying our connection to the protagonist. We wish to learn as much about the Glade as Thomas does. Thomas's amnesia is a common trope in literature and other media. Here, it serves to heighten the mystery and provides Thomas with a motivation: to escape and learn about who he is and where he came from. This instant victimization of Thomas additionally allows the reader to sympathize and identify with him. The reader wishes to obtain the same answers that Thomas does.