Duty

Duty is a motif throughout the book. Tom and his father are the first ones to hint at duty when they’re discussing jobs. In the world, nothing is more important than finding work for your sons. Jobs and apprenticeships are almost used like a currency. Tom’s father has used up all of his favors when finding jobs for the rest of his family. Since Tom is a seventh son, it’s harder to find work for him, which is why he has to become a spook. This isn’t something that Tom or his family dismisses though. In fact, the sense of duty is greater for a spook because of the job's importance.

Tom’s mother is one of the characters that talks about duty the most. Like Gregory, she believes that spooks have a responsibility to drive back the darkness and keep the...