In the novel Ender’s game, Orson Scott Card attempts to convey the message of the conflict between compassion and ruthlessness. For one thing Ender often compares himself to his ruthless brother Peter every time he himself does something mean and cold hearted. But Ender also has a compassionate personality. he shows his compassionate personality in many cases. He also shows that Ender may have a bit of a ruthlessness in him, but resents himself for it. He then also shows that compassion beats ruthlessness when Enders overtops ruthless Peter in almost everything they do. Therefore Orson used the theme compassionate vs. ruthlessness by exhibiting Ender’s success and Peter’s failures to exhibit the theme compassion vs. ruthlessness.
Peter has more of an influence in Ender’s life then he realized, He even acknowledges it one point when thanks Peter in his mind for teaching him how to hide his feelings. Often Ender compares himself to Peter especially when he ends up hurting or killing something or someone. After he beats up Stilson. He thinks that he's like Peter.
"Ender leaned against the wall of the corridor and cried until the bus came. 'I am just like Peter. Take my monitor away and I'm just like Peter.'" (page 8) Ender realizes with anguish that he's turning into Peter. He finds this really sad. Another time he feels like Peter is when is when he's flying to battle school. On the way there, a boy kept harassing him. Ender then proceeds to harm the boy and break his arm.
"Just as the next blow was coming, Ender reached up with both hands, snatched the boy by the wrist, and pulled down on the arm, hard... I am Peter. I am just like him. And Ender hated himself." (page 122) Ender, even though he was defending himself, broke a kid's hand and compared himself to Peter. He also hated himself for it. At one point, after Ender see's a reflection of Peter staring at him on a mirror in a reality game that shows your