Character Analysis
Here’s a measure of how unimportant Mick seems to be – no other study guide on this book contains any material for him. He shows up once, when Ender is eating alone. He straightforwardly and honestly says that he’s not going anywhere because he’s not good enough. He offers Ender some advice: “Make friends. Be a leader. Kiss butts if you've got to, but if the other guys despise you – you know what I mean?” (5.74). Now, that’s pretty terrible advice and Ender doesn’t take it. Mick is basically a cautionary tale: don’t take his advice and don’t end up like him. (Although, we should note that his “Kiss butts” remark might give Ender the idea of how to take down Bernard – by sending out emails that say that Bernard likes to kiss butts.)