Lawrence Finnegan Whitman, or Finn, is the story's main protagonist. Almost 14, smart, athletic, and resourceful, Finn is an ideal candidate for the DHS team. A sense of freedom and creativity surrounds him. His first name evokes Tom Sawyer’s independent-minded friend Huck Finn; this refers to Tom Sawyer’s Island at the Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland. His last name calls up Walt Whitman, one of America’s most famous poets, a rebellious soul who sang the praises of his homeland in his writings and who advanced the development of free verse, or poems without meter or rhyme.

Finn likes Amanda, with whom he goes on his first date. Her behavior puzzles him, and in any case, he’s confused about whether to trust girls at all. For a time, he convinces himself that she’s a traitor, but he realizes her intentions are noble and wants her friendship.

Wayne designates Finn as the leader of the DHIs. Finn’s experience is a form of hero’s journey, a literary construct that recurs in storytelling throughout history. Brought to broad public awareness by Joseph Campbell’s book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, the hero’s journey begins when the protagonist answers a call to action, leaves home, travels to a strange realm, and receives mentoring and supernatural help.