“It was the second death I had known, and the sorrow of the first was still fresh in my heart.” 

In quick succession, Jim experiences the deaths of his father and the sea captain. These deaths set the plot in motion and reveal Jim as an honest and noble character.

“They say cowardice is infectious, but then argument is, on the other hand, a great emboldener; and so when each had said his say, my mother made them a speech.” 

Jim’s mother demonstrates moral integrity when she takes only what she is owed from the captain’s sea chest, but she is not merely quiet or passive. She speaks her mind to the villagers in the hamlet when they refuse to help protect her and Jim from Pew’s attacks, and this shows that she is outspoken as well.

“‘I’ll take what I have,’ she said, jumping to her feet.” 

As Pew and his men approach the inn searching for the old sea captain’s chest, Jim and his mother are forced to flee. In the heat of the moment, Jim’s mother chooses to take less than what she is owed, revealing that she is an honest person to her core.