

They are the vanguard of the fifth wave, the soldiers who will unknowingly take out other humans. The kids are not the vanguard of humanity attacking back. This is confirmed throughout the next few chapters.

It plants the idea in the reader's head to ask, is this really it? Just a few kids? There has to be a bigger story here. It also gives us a moment of foreshadowing.


It allows the reader to feel the shock and uncertainty that Ben and the other kids in the squad must be feeling. This quote reveals just how bad and dramatic the situation is. Seven kids who just six months ago were, well, just kids we're the counterpunch to attacks that left seven billion dead. They have something to die for - to preserve their legacy, to make sure they go down fighting. This quote encapsulates the motives of humanity for fighting against the Others, even in the face of death. 281Įvan says this to Cassie as he expresses his feelings for her. To hold on, you have to find something you're willing to die for. Before I found you, I thought the only way to hold on was to find something to live for. He believes that they are only there out of desperation, out of a need to survive themselves. Unlike other theories bandied about, Cassie's Dad sees nothing benevolent about the aliens. 71ĭad explains to Cassie his theory about the Others, the aliens. They're like a landlord who kicks out a deadbeat renter so he can get the house cleaned up for the new tenant I think this has always been about getting the place ready. Not to kill us, though killing us - or most of us - is necessary. They are less safe than the countryside, which is at least cleaner and somewhat less patrolled than the cities. Towns and cities are polluted by dead bodies and the waste of the people of the past. She explains why she sticks to rural areas instead of towns. In this quote, Cassie describes what it is like to wander around the country. You know how you can tell when you're getting close to one? The smell.
