The main character Miles "Pudge" Halter was shy, and introverted at the beginning of the novel. He didn't have many friends and he was insecure. He decided to go to Culver Creek Boarding School to find himself. He quickly found new friends and realized he wasn't as introverted as he thought. He was playing pranks on people, drinking and smoking, and taking risks that he never would have before. He met his first girlfriend, Alaska, who changed his life. By the end of the book he was no longer questioning who he was and he accepted himself.