Throughout the novel, Kyle struggles with the responsibility of keeping BeeBee and himself safe. Kyle “liked being the one in charge” in the beginning of the novel, but that changes when the conflict occurs (16). After the fire almost kills them, Kyle realizes that “being in charge during an earthquake and fire wasn’t fun at all. It was terrifying” (69). However, because he is in charge while his parents are on their awards cruise, Kyle is left as the older brother to make quick life-or-death decisions for himself and BeeBee. Kyle has the authority in the situation because their parents are away on the cruise, so he must take charge despite his fears.

Kyle’s responsibilities focus mainly on BeeBee and her wellbeing. While BeeBee is struggling with the earthquake, fire, and tsunami, Kyle puts on a brave face and does his best to quell her fears. Although BeeBee is smart, she does not have the logical mind that Kyle does. After asking about whether they can still order pizza after the earthquake, Kyle thinks BeeBee “might be smart about money, but she wasn’t using her head now” (53). When BeeBee cries later, Kyle reassures her of their plans and “make[s] up a silly joke about a dog sandwich when [he] feared [they] were going to die any minute” (114).