Palmer LaRue is a character motivated by fear. In the beginning of the novel, he is afraid of turning ten because he desperately doesn’t want to become a wringer. Ever since he attended his first Family Fest pigeon shooting, he’s known that he could never reconcile himself to the violent act of wringing a helpless pigeon’s neck. He pushes this fear down and befriends Beans, Mutto, and Henry because they’re the coolest kids on the street and he wants their acceptance. When Beans and the other boys fantasize about being wringers, Palmer pretends along with them because he's afraid they will find out the truth. If they knew he didn’t want to be a wringer, they would think less of him; they may even bully him as they do to other kids.

Things change for Palmer after he grows closer to Nipper and Dorothy. His genuine friendship with them gives him a confidence he’s never known before. Yet even in the midst of this confidence, he’s plagued by a new fear: Nipper’s murder. He knows if Beans ever finds out about Nipper, he would surely kill the innocent bird. This fear causes him to abandon Nipper, but Dorothy’s friendship ultimately enables him to stand up for his convictions.