All the Glimmering Stars

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence, death, physical abuse, emotional abuse, rape, and child sexual abuse.

Tabuley sends Anthony and two other soldiers into Torit for supplies. When they get to a shop, the owner introduces himself as Mabior; however, a soldier hits Mabior in the face. As the soldiers look for supplies, Anthony helps Mabior, apologizing for what the soldiers did, and offers him money.

Outside, Anthony hears mortars. The two soldiers flee but are killed. As the mortars hit near the shop, Mabior is further wounded. Anthony does his best to tourniquet a wound on his leg.

For more than an hour, Anthony cares for Mabior as explosions continue outside. Mabior tells Anthony that, despite everything that happened, Anthony has a chance to be happy. He tells him that he must overcome his mental suffering. He explains that everyone has four voices within them: “Rush. Violence. Lack. And Fear” (152). These voices tell Anthony that he must constantly work harder, that the universe has been unfair to him, that he’ll always be unhappy, and that he deserves what happened to him, deep down. Anthony is shocked, realizing that he feels exactly as Mabior described. As he cares for Mabior, Mabior explains how to learn to recognize and ignore the voices, eventually limiting the damage they do.