Fear

Fear is mentioned throughout this book and it rules the life of The Baudelaires new guardian, Aunt Josephine. She is afraid of many things and some of her fears are quite silly. Silly as they may be, however, they are not any less real to this terrified woman.

Through her inability to overcome her fears, Aunt Josephine ends up endangering the children not just once, but twice. At first, her fear of Count Olaf spurs her to fake her own death, leaving behind a fake suicide note that stated that the children were to be cared for by Count Olaf. She leaves a hidden message within this note, hoping that the children will figure it out and find her.

The children overcome their fears of being left in the hands of Count Olaf, a hurricane and one of Count Olaf's associates as they do their best to find...