Thrive v.i. grow well; flourish, prosper. The characters in 'I'm not scared' are living, not thriving. They're all weak in different ways and their strength is dying slowly. All of the characters have an individual battle with weakness. Many of the characters appear to be strong but are really just helpless beings, existing in a place where the strength comes from violence and abuse. Often the truly strong characters are the innocent children, who …showed first 75 words of 475 total…

…showed last 75 words of 475 total…Pino is perhaps the most desperate character in the novel, because he feels that it is his duty to look after his family. He is not satisfied by Acqua Traverse, so turns to crime in order to fulfil his hopeless wishes of ever living in the rich North. A once powerful man, Pino is now submissive to the domineering Sergio Materia, who uses a gun as his source of power because he is physically weak.