Just as Edward Tralvorkemen and Jakob Damond waged a battle-of-the-wits war behind the scenes of the first book, James and Miles wage a similar war behind the scenes in TWOLD.
At the root of their contention is Miles’ belief that he can save fix the world. Save the world.
Miles is striving to save the world, and James knows it is beyond his control.
Even though Miles is wrong, his stance can appear more sympathetic to some, and cast doubt on James’ stance. James looks passive and apathetic compared to Miles’ “do whatever it takes” attitude.
“You’re not going to break the rules? You clearly don’t care enough.”
“We don’t stand a chance unless we harness the darkness.”