In the novel The Wave by Morton Rhue (the pseudonym of Todd Strasser), a history professor conducts an experiment to understand the influence of Nazi Germany on its people. However, the students turn against each other and terrorize those who are not part of The Wave. Robert Billings is a pivotal character who develops significantly throughout the novel, and in a way that draws attention to the disturbing nature of Rhue's message. In a drastic change, he goes from class loser to blind follower of The Wave as the school loses all independence and uniqueness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Robert Billings is undoubtedly portrayed as the class loser in the novel and Rhue describes him as a "...heavy boy with shirttails perpetually hanging around and his hair was always messy, like if he had never bothered to comb them." He is shown as a weak, timid individual and has no reason to try anything. He says "I don't care...there's no point in trying anyway." He appears to be a lost cause, a boy who cannot hope to live up to his brother's standards, as his brother was an extremely successful and popular student. At the beginning of the novel, Robert has no goals, he finds himself isolated and this leaves him with no reason to make an effort in anything. As The Wave begins to grow. Robert was the first student to take this seriously. Mr. Ross begins The Wave by asking everyone to get up from their desks before answering the question concisely. With this, “Robert practiced the movement again and again.” Showing the audience Robert's sudden determination to appear as a strong figure. He takes a sudden development in his character as he quickly discovers The Wave as his salvation from isolation. His escape from being a nobody. The Wave gave him a purpose, a reason to get up in the morning and as readers we can understand that everyone is looking for a purpose in their life. Robert is even higher in the social hierarchy thanks to the wave, as evidenced by the fact that he receives an "X" on his membership card which means he is an instructor of The Wave. He also becomes Mr. Ross's bodyguard. Throughout the novel, Robert quickly becomes dangerously fanatical as the wave intensifies and Laurie attempts to stop it. Robert clearly needs The Wave and claims Laurie is a threat to his salvation. He says "Laurie Saunders can't say things like that...she needs to be stopped." Readers see that Robert is indoctrinated by his chronic desire to belong and this illustrates one of the main ideas of the novel. The idea that people fear isolation and will do anything to fit in and be accepted. Through Robert Billings we can see the author's purpose in warning us that there are very real and powerful social hierarchies that people are obsessed with being at the top of and that we should be wary of following without a doubt. a sudden turn as it completely collapsed after The Wave's abolition. At the end of the novel, Robert is alone and crying. Rhue writes: “He was the only one to lose everything.” Which is perfectly true. We see that Robert devoted all of his will to keeping The Wave alive and now that The Wave is gone, he has lost all purpose and his chance to become a strong, meaningful figure. He was even, even though he was once the loser in class and we realize he was blinded by the fact.