"I've got guts," Jerry murmurs to himself in the opening chapter after picking himself up from a hard tackle on the sports field. Despite being tackled three times consecutively and insulted by the coach, Jerry leaves the field with determination to make the team. This initial scene depicts Jerry as someone brave enough to endure physical pain, able to rise after being knocked down and ready to face more. Yet, he is also haunted by a different kind of pain. In the same chapter, we learn that his mother has died, and it is the haunting memory of her death, rather than the bruises from the football field, that brings on the nausea at the end of Chapter 1. The straightforward competitiveness and physicality of football—described as the "honest contact of football" from Jerry's viewpoint in Chapter 28—are consistently contrasted with the mental and emotional strain caused by both the Vigils and Brother Leon.

Archie is not devoid of bravery. Though he has never drawn the black marble from the box (which would force him to complete a task himself), the risk is always present. He remains steadfast in his convictions, especially in Chapter 27, when he defies Carter's demand to abandon psychological strategies in favor of direct physical bullying. Cowardice is widespread among the students at Trinity, especially those who want to join Jerry in his boycott but are too frightened. Some, like John Sulkey, commit to the chocolate sale, either seeing it as a personal challenge or being swayed by Brother Leon's speeches. However, most would stop if given the chance. In the end, they persist not out of respect for the school or fear of Brother Leon, but because they lack the courage to stand up to Archie and the Vigils.