Jacob constantly loses sight of his power both as a young adult and as an old man, which all come as result from another person with higher authority. While in the circus, Jacob must follow the orders of Uncle Al, who runs the circus, which leaves Jacob without any real form of power. However, August, who is Jacob’s boss under the orders of Uncle Al, is another powerful man that Jacob must respect and follow his orders. Without his own sense of power, Jacob becomes powerless and also comes off as a naive and meek young adult who doesn’t want to start any problems. After Jacob notices August cruelly mistreating Rosie the elephant, Jacob becomes furious by August’s actions, but refrains from taking action since August holds more power than Jacob.