Leper Lepellier is the oddball or misfit of the group of boys at Devon school in 1942-1943. He is very interested in nature and experiencing the outdoors in a peaceful way. He's usually in his own little world because of his unusual interests. For example, he likes to cross-country ski, look at snails, and find beaver dams, whereas the other boys his age are interested in sports. Gene says that Leper has many vagaries, or unpredictable, random acts of weirdness that no one really understands. In chapter nine, Gene explains Leper with this example:
". . . such as the time he slept on top of Mount Katahdin in Maine where each morning the sun first strikes the United States territory. On that morning, satisfying one of his urges to participate in nature, Leper Lepellier was the first thing the rising sun struck in the United States" (124).
This passage shows that Leper has random ideas that he follows through with on a whim. He's also an idealist and very naïve. He doesn't seem to think through his ideas before he acts on them, either. Later, this behavior gets Leper in trouble as he is unprepared mentally for enlisting in the army and suffers a mental breakdown.
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