Rowdy and Penelope both function as character foils for Junior, who triangulates off of the two of them to build his own sense of identity. Rowdy and Junior were born two hours apart at the same hospital, and they have been inseparable ever since. Now that they are teenagers, the small differences between them are growing larger.

Both of their parents have struggled with alcoholism, but Rowdy's father is physically abusive and far less loving than Junior's. Rowdy channels his feelings into rage, whereas Junior expresses his through art. Mr. P tells Junior (somewhat problematically) that Junior has a future beyond the reservation that Rowdy will never have. Junior wants to escape the bleak future Mr. P lays out for Rowdy, but he struggles with the idea that he is abandoning an important part of himself along with his friend.

Penelope, meanwhile, represents the White privilege Junior grasps at when he goes to school in Reardan. Penelope is from a small farm town with mediocre schools, but she has money, safety, and social connections that are unavailable to most people Junior has ever known. Describing her as "translucent" and "white on white on white" in her volleyball uniform, Junior turns Penelope into a symbol of Whiteness. They become friends and even date, but she is never more than his "semi-girlfriend." This ambiguous language is humorous, emphasizing the awkward social dynamics of young teenagers. On a deeper level, it also represents Junior's ambivalent feelings about what he is doing in Reardan. He flirts with Whiteness, but it never quite belongs to him. He starts to worry that he has rejected the reservation only to find out that there is no place for him beyond it.

Rowdy helps Junior come to terms with his identity in Chapter 29, when he and Junior make amends over a game of basketball:

“I’m not nomadic,” Rowdy said. “Hardly anybody on this rez is nomadic. Except for you. You’re the nomadic one.”

“Whatever.”

“No, I’m serious. I always knew you were going to leave. I always knew you were going to leave us behind and travel the world. I had this dream about you a few months ago. You were standing on the Great Wall of China. You looked happy. And I was happy for you.”

Rowdy didn’t cry. But I did.

Rowdy has accused Junior of betraying his people by leaving the reservation. In this scene, Junior tries to make up with Rowdy by once again inviting him to come to school in Reardan. "We could still be the same as each other," he seems to be telling his friend. Instead of blowing up this time, Rowdy gently tells Junior about their nomadic ancestors who never settled in one place. The two boys are not the same as each other, Rowdy insists, but that is because Junior is like one of their nomadic ancestors. Rowdy is more anchored to the reservation than Junior is, but that doesn't mean Junior is any less "Indian." He simply embodies an aspect of American Indian culture that has become impossible for most people due to systemic influences. 

Junior cries because Rowdy makes room for Junior to honor his community instead of betraying it when he pursues his goals. Rowdy's dream about Junior walking on the Great Wall of China even echoes something Penelope once said about her own dream of traveling the world. By offering Junior this expansive vision of his future and connecting it to his American Indian identity, Rowdy makes room for Junior to be ambitious in ways that were perhaps previously unavailable to him.