Gregor the Overlander

“He didn’t want this girl to be in charge. He could tell by the upright way she held herself, by the slight smile at the left corner of her mouth, by the way she managed to be looking down at him even though he was a good six inches taller than she was, that she had real attitude. That’s what his mom would say about certain girls he knew. ‘She’s got real attitude.’ She would shake her head, but Gregor could tell she approved of those girls.”

Luxa’s character introduction immediately screams “Girl Power” to the reader. Luxa has skills and confidence and isn’t afraid to show them off to the world. She and Gregor challenge each other from the very beginning—while at first this is a source of conflict, it becomes a point of respect. 

“His Mom said Boots never knew a stranger, which meant she thought everybody in the world was her friend.”

This is a moment where the reader gets a sense of how Boots operates: she doesn't fight with other people; she just sees and treats everyone in the world as her friend. This is in stark contrast to many of the other characters in the book, who create divides between people or divides between species. 

“‘The crawlers are not known for their fighting ability’ said Vikus, by way of explanation to Gregor. Neither her nor Solovet were laughing now. He turned to Luxa and Henry. ‘Yet they live on. Perhaps when you can comprehend the reason for their longevity you will have more respect for them… foolish jokes at the Crawlers expense may make the difference between our existence and our annihilation. They do not need to be warriors to shift the balance of power in the Underland.”

Vikus explains that cockroaches traditionally flee rather than fight, and even though it may seem cowardly to an outsider, it is the reason they have survived for so long. Vikus implies here that every living creature deserves respect, and they shouldn’t take the Crawlers’ power and presence for granted because such hubris could eventually lead to Regalia’s destruction.