Describe the character of Cole Matthews. Why do you think he acts the way he does? Give examples to prove your point.

At the start of the novel, Cole is a fifteen-year old convicted juvenile delinquent from Minneapolis. He most recently has been put in detention for violently hitting and assaulting a classmate named Peter Driscal who had turned Cole in for robbing a store. His parents do not know what to do with him anymore. In frustration and while drunk, his father often beats him while his mother rarely defends him. Cole initially shows no remorse for his actions, no intentions of changing his ways, and harbors a deep anger at the world and particularly at his parents. He is mean and uncharitable even with those who try to help him such as the prison guard Garvey and the Indian tribesman Edwin. Cole needs to let go of the demons in his past that make him manipulative and aggressive.