What quotes state the main character's strength?

Jack Gantos is no ordinary hero, and yet he becomes one in the novel Dead End in Norvelt. We watch Jack grow and mature from the beginning of the book to its ending. He makes plenty of mistakes along the way, showing his weaknesses. He sneaks out of the house one night, which is a very dangerous thing to do. But from this bold action, he gains courage.
It is courage which becomes Jack's greatest strength. In the beginning of the book, Jack frequently gets nosebleeds when he is afraid or under stress. By the end of the book, the nosebleeds have vanished and the fears he once carried fall away.
An important quote that shows Jack's courage is when Jack is confronted with a freshly killed deer. The shock of the blood and death would have certainly caused Jack to have a nosebleed before, but now Jack has the courage to calmly face his fears. We read that when Jack becomes aware of the sight that is before him, he makes a decision and "...instead of turning away in fear, I knelt down and placed my hand over the eye" of the deer. This calm confrontation of facing down his fear shows that courage is truly his greatest strength.