Ethan is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Potter who are farmers. The Potter family is an established family in Epiphany. Potters have lived "in Clarion County since before Epiphany was a town." Ethan has an older brother named Lucas (nicknamed "Luke"). Luke is the perfect son, athlete, student, and overall citizen. Throughout his life, Ethan has lived in Luke's shadow. He has always felt inferior to Luke, as if he will never be able to measure up. Ethan thinks he is a disappointment to his teachers because he is not the great student Luke was. Ethan feels trapped. His family expects that he will take over the farm one day because "Luke [is] scheduled for greater things." But Ethan doesn't want the farm. He wants to become a set designer or costume designer for the theater. He doesn't tell anyone about this dream; instead, he keeps everything to himself and suffers in silence.
Ethan is extremely quiet and reserved. He is good at watching others and listening. He doesn't talk much. He creates barriers between himself and others to avoid having to participate in relationships. In this way, Ethan believes, other students will never find out that he is not as good as Luke. Ethan is aware that his "silence is a habit that hurts." His silence isolates him and causes him to feel lonely. When Julian Singh begins to take the school bus, Ethan avoids eye contact and conversation with Julian, even though he is curious about Julian. Julian, who is consistently kind and friendly toward Ethan, helps Ethan discover kindness within himself. Ethan's newfound kindness enables him to protect Julian from bullies.
Ethan goes to Sillington House and surprises himself. He finds the courage to tell jokes, ask questions, and be open with Nadia, Noah, and Julian — things he has never done before. Sillington house "made [him] pull sounds out of [his] silence." Ethan gains self-confidence and begins to feel good about himself. He becomes a member of The Souls and Mrs. Olinski's Academic Bowl team.
