Zachariah is humble. Unlike the other men aboard the ship, Zachariah does not treat Charlotte as though he were her superior. Charlotte too acts as though she is superior to the crew because she is of higher social class. On the ship, she is out of place, but Zachariah treats her fairly. He also works with his crew as the only black man on board and he does his job without complaint. He may be uneducated or brusque, but in the novel, Zachariah is in a position in which he can make a change of events.
