Ben

Ben is a semi-minor character in the book, a former Runner. He is nearly sixteen years old. Ben is a skinny boy with pale skin, blond hair, and deep eyes. The hero goes through the Changing and undergoes a serious metamorphosis after it. During the process, he gets the strong desire to kill Thomas as Ben believes that the boy does not belong in the Glade. He merely does not trust Thomas.

As a result, in some time, Ben is waiting for Thomas being in the distance from other characters. He desires to kill Thomas when nobody sees it. However, Alby, a brave leader of the Gladers, rescues Thomas shooting arrows. Hence, Ben fails to kill Thomas. Later, he is severely banished for his attempts to do so. Even though Ben deeply apologizes for his actions, the banishment is inevitable. Eventually, Ben is left outside the Glade. Even more, he has no any chance to return to it, eliciting big guilt in Thomas. In fact, the banishment can be interpreted as a great illustration of how rigidly the Gladers adhere to the existing rules of behavior.