Robert Billings Character Analysis

Widely regarded as the “creepy” class loser amongst the seniors at Gordon High, Robert Billings is a painfully introverted young man who is growing up in the shadow of his beloved, successful older brother, a popular Gordon alum. As The Wave movement takes hold of the school, Robert comes out of his shell for the first time ever—and Ben Ross and the others students alike are surprised and even charmed by the changes in Robert’s personality as he becomes more outgoing and confident. When Robert is made a monitor, however, the power goes to his head—and he becomes one of the most regimented, even dangerous members of The Wave movement. When Ben Ross puts the movement to a stop, Robert is devastated and sits in the auditorium weeping alone long after the other students have cleared out and decided to try to “forget” about how intensely The Wave took hold of their school.