How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
As a child, Günberk Braun had often daydreamed of how, in an earlier time, he might have prevented the firebombing of Dresden, or stopped the Nazis and their death camps, or kept Stalin from starving the Ukraine. (Prologue.19)
Like Alfred, Günberk identifies himself as a potential hero, which is one of the reasons why we feel bad for him. Here's a guy whose identity as a spy is wrapped up with this childhood wish to be a savior. Moreover, as we see in the prologue, he's got the skills to do that. That doesn't seem so bad. So why doesn't it work out for Günberk Braun?
Quote #2
"I wager he's fourteen years old and desperately eager to show off." He glanced at Vaz. "Is this the best you could come up with, Alfred?"
"His reputation is not a fraud, Günberk. He has managed projects almost as complex as what we have in mind for him." (1.47-8)
Rabbit is our most mysterious character. After all, his other major identity is as The Mysterious Stranger, so yeah: we don't know who he is (which is why he's a stranger). We can only judge by his personality and by his ability/reputation.
Quote #3
He suspended his question queue and dropped the external session. At the same time, he played back the last few minutes of her talk, desperately trying to summarize. Most times, Chumlig just asked embarrassing questions; this was the first she'd sminged him with a threat.
And the amazing thing was, she'd done it in a short pause, when everyone else thought she was just looking at her notes. Juan eyed her with new respect. (4.125-6)
Louise Chumlig is not simply what she appears to be, unless she appears to you to be a very perceptive teacher and an accomplished techie. Juan doesn't see that at first, so when she catches him not paying attention in class and sends him a quick sm like an expert, he begins to suspect she might have skills. And this is really the first hint of it, though pretty soon we'll see more.