The Passengers

The novel’s protagonist and moral compass, Libby Dixon, is a mental health nurse whose inherent empathy and past traumas place her in direct opposition to the story’s central conflicts. Initially a reluctant member of the Vehicle Inquest Jury, Libby embodies a deep-seated distrust of autonomous technology, a position rooted in her personal history. Her skepticism isn’t unfounded: She previously witnessed a driverless car kill three pedestrians on Monroe Street, an event that solidified her belief that artificial intelligence can’t replicate human morality. Furthermore, the memory of her brother’s death by suicide, a tragedy she blames partly on her own failure to intervene, fuels her instinct to protect the vulnerable. This personal history makes her the ideal pawn in the Hacker’s game, as her compassion is both her greatest strength and the vulnerability he exploits. Her initial stance is one of firm opposition to automated control, telling a colleague, “[T]he only time you’ll see me in something that drives itself is when I’m in the back of a hearse” (42).

As a round and dynamic character, Libby undergoes a significant transformation. At the story’s outset, the bureaucratic arrogance of Jack Larsson and the other jurors overwhelms and silences her.