The Mysterious Benedict Society

Sticky’s spectacles represent his anxiety. Sticky is introduced as an anxious, fidgety boy, and one of his most prominent nervous tics is polishing his spectacles. Throughout the novel, he doubts that he will be brave enough to be an effective member of the group, so he allows himself to yield to his fear—and constantly polishes his spectacles out of nervousness—rather than try and fail. Though the narration notes that Sticky is braver than he realizes, he does not begin to act on this hidden courage until he has to face his fears directly. The Executives bring him to the dreaded Waiting Room, a torturous prison that Sticky is terrified of; when he emerges, he is covered in mud, and he removes his filthy spectacles without cleaning them. Reynie perceives this as worryingly out of character, but although Sticky is traumatized by his experience, facing his fear of the Waiting Room also enables him to face his other fears. Not only does he avoid polishing his spectacles, but he also removes them entirely, symbolizing a dramatic internal shift that will allow Sticky to grow as a character.