Todd Anderson is one of the novel's characters who undergoes enormous change during the course of the novel. When we first meet him, Todd is immensely quiet and shy..... he's new in school and has a difficult time making friends. Very intelligent, Todd is an overachiever, who lacks confidence, but with the encouragement of Mr. Keating and Neil, he overcomes his shyness. By the story's conclusion, he is the fist to be counted among Mr. Keating's supporters, and the first to show that support when he stands on his desk.