Throughout most of the book, Ender uses Valentine as a way of coping with the constant changes in his life and keeping himself motivated. This is proved on page 43, when Ender says, “I will not be the bugger of my group, -I didn 't leave Valentine, and Mother, and Father to come here just to be iced”. Ender uses Valentine, and his family in order to comfort himself. Ender also uses his family, including his brother Peter, to keep himself from having an emotional breakdown. This means that by comparing himself to Peter or thinking of Valentine, Ender keeps himself from turning into someone who is just a killer, rather than a strategic and wise player of the games that his Battle School are using to try to break him down.