Stephen´s changes in chapter 6

We notice a change in Stephen in chapter 6. Even though he still depends a lot on his friend Keith  and considers him as a leader, Stephen becomes bolder, more independent and more aggressive in this chapter.

At the beginning of the chapter, we are reminded of how Stephen is hiding some information from Keith. He hasn't told his friend about Barbara Berrill´s intrusion in their hideout or her comments on the Haywards sisters and he cannot tell him about his conversation with Mrs Hayward. Even though he feels uncomfortable and guilty about not sharing all this information with his friend, this is a first step towards a more autonomous behaviour. He has information Keith hasn´t got, so he can interpret events in a different way than his friend.

To atone for not telling this information to Keith, Stephen decides to go through the tunnel in the middle of the night to find some evidence to prove Keith´s hypothesis.  He explains: “I should find the evidence that would prove beyond all doubt that Keith´s right, and that his mother really is a German spy.” Even though he does this for his friend: "One single heroic deed to lay at Keith´s feet in the morning",  he decides to take action on his own  In this sense, we may say that he becomes bolder and more independent than in previous chapters, although he still feels he acts in this way for his friend's sake, i.e. to prove his friend's hypothesis is right.

In his excursion, he is scared, as any kid of his age would be of being alone in the middle of the night  in a muddy tunnel. His eyesight is limited because it is very dark so he has to rely on his other senses, which makes the experience even more terrifying. Even though he becomes paralysed when the man appears, it is very brave of him to go there on his own, without Keith. It is really a heroic deed for Stephen, and I consider that this night trip proves he has come a long way from the Stephen described in the first chapters of the novel.

When Keith and Stephen go to the Barns, Stephen also shows a new attitude.When they hear the soft coughing of the alleged old tramp under the sheets of corrugated iron, he starts hitting the piece of metal with a bar. He says: "I´m taking the lead for once. I'm showing Keith that he is not the only one that can think of plans and projects" He becomes the leader for once, but his behaviour becomes terribly hostile and aggressive to prove  Keith that he could be like him.

I believe that the only source of the courage Stephen is showing arises from the fear  the man under the corrugated iron was feeling. As Stephen feels superior to someone for the first time, he hits  the roof until the piece of corrugated  iron begins to dent. The man must have been terrified. I believe that Stephen was acting in this way because he was releasing all the stress and hatred he had, which had been caused by being bullied at school and by being bossed around by Keith. For  once, he feels superior to somebody so he takes advantage of his power to release his impotence in an aggressive manner. In a way, he copies his friend as he abuses his power and superiority.

To conclude, in chapter 6, we discover a new Stephen, who is able to momentarily free himself from Keith´s leadership so as to take the investigation of Mrs Haywards into his own hands. The change is not radical as the motivation behind all his actions still seems to be his friend, but it is significant all the same.