If Arthur struggles to impose himself on the narrative, then Zaphod delights in propelling the plot forward. However, Zaphod is suspicious of his own ideas because they come from “the dark and locked off parts of his mind” (35). He has, in the past, deliberately obscured his own thoughts so as to protect him from himself, as well as figures like Gag Halfrunt who consider him a danger to the Universe. Thus, Zaphod decides to hold a séance while under Vogon attack, but he doesn’t know why. In a sense, Zaphod’s control over the plot mirrors the novel’s presentation of true power in the universe. While Zaphod, as former President of the Galaxy, seemed to be in charge of everything, there was actually a mysterious figure who was driving events.

This desire to know the truth leads Zaphod, Trillian, and Zarniwoop to an unknown planet, where an unnamed man makes the decisions that decide the fate of the Galaxy. This man is, effectively, Zaphod’s complete opposite. He lacks any kind of ego or interest in anything other than what’s in his immediate vision. He has no desire to steal spaceships or become President of the Galaxy; he’s only interested in his cat. At the same time, however, this man is the most powerful figure in the Universe. For Zaphod, this is a moment for reflection. Whereas Zarniwoop becomes outraged that such a man could have so much power, Zaphod is relieved. He tells Trillian that the Universe is in “pretty good hands” (205).

In an act of complete agency, Zaphod decides to leave this planet and leave the Ruler of the Universe. This is a moment of humility, a surrendering not only of power but also of interest in how power functions. Zaphod accepts his role in the Universe as something other than the absolute protagonist of everything. For a man who briefly believed that he had the significance to survive the Total Perspective Vortex, this is a moment of significant development.

In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Ford is Arthur’s essential companion and guide through a strange and hostile Universe. In The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Ford’s role is slightly changed. He is no longer the sole partner of Arthur but a member of a four-person group. While he retains his friendship with Arthur, he also has a long-established bond with Zaphod, which is illustrated by their shared associates such as Hotblack Desiato. He’s a companion in difficult circumstances, a change that is most demonstrated in his feelings of helplessness as events threaten to spiral out of control. When under attack from the Vogon fleet or when the Heart of Gold is shrunk down to fit inside Zaphod’s pocket, Ford has no idea what is happening. This is a marked change from the assured, though sometimes fatalistic, presence of Ford in the first novel.

Eventually, Ford finds himself stranded 2 million years in the past with Arthur. They’re on Earth, meaning that they’re closer to Arthur’s home than Ford’s home. They’re separated from technology and contact with the outside world to such an extent that Ford’s superior knowledge of the Universe is rendered useless. The Golgafrinchan people become a source of immense frustration, as they refuse to organize in a way that could help themselves survive and develop their society. In this way, Ford becomes a reflection of Arthur in the first book. He finds himself in a strange environment defined by absurd bureaucracy and petty small-mindedness. Ford confronts the Golgafrinchan and points out their flaws, but to no effect.

Ultimately, Ford must accept his circumstances. He and Arthur choose to find the absurdity of their situation funny, using humor as a coping mechanism for their plight. While they may have been separated by the events of The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Ford and Arthur are reunited in helplessness at the end of the novel.

Marvin is a figure of fun in the first book of the series. His cynicism and sullen mood provide a counterpoint to the wondrous technology that Arthur encounters when he leaves Earth. The more time that Arthur spends traveling the Galaxy, however, the more he comes to agree with Marvin. He tells Trillian that Marvin is “the clearest thinker” he knows (102). To this extent, Marvin’s belief that the world is against him and his fatalistic view in the doomed nature of everything around him become increasingly vindicated.

Added to this, Marvin has legitimate grievances over how he’s treated by his supposed companions. Zaphod leaves him to fight a robotic tank, armed with nothing, and the tank becomes so outraged on Marvin’s behalf that it destroys itself. Later, Marvin is simply forgotten by the ship and must wait until the end of time to be reunited with the other characters. A wait of hundreds of millions of years doesn’t improve his mood, but it shows how little he features in the considerations of others.

Marvin’s ultimate fate shows how little the other characters think of him. Aboard Hotblack’s stunt ship as it plunges inevitably into a star, Zaphod nominates Marvin to stay behind and operate the teleportation device. There is never any debate about who should stay, nor is Marvin permitted the agency of nominating himself. He is reduced to the role of a tool or a machine, rather than a functioning being in his own right.

Marvin seemingly accepts this fate and performs a last heroic action before being catapulted into the star. In spite of his sullen demeanor, Marvin is the most demonstrably heroic and sacrificial of the characters. While he may pass sarcastic comments on the Universe around him, he performs the sacrificial act that allows his companions to survive, suggesting a certain measure of idealism after all.

Zarniwoop is the editor of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. In this role, he is the target for the complaints from many unsatisfied hitchhikers who have run into trouble by following the poorly researched advice in his guide. Zarniwoop is insulated from any real repercussions, however—both by the insect-like secretary that patrols the entrance to the corporate offices and by his ability to seal himself into a virtual universe in his own office. He can use this technology to take an intergalactic cruise without ever leaving work, or he can create a small universe dedicated to the protection of Zaphod’s mind.

The insulated architect of bad advice, Zarniwoop plays an important role in the second novel of the series, showing not only that the information in the Guide isn’t infallible but also that there’s little consequence or punishment for the publication of false information. The Guide isn’t just occasionally incorrect but—under Zarniwoop’s editorship—actively, dangerously incorrect. Nevertheless, Zarniwoop’s privileged position shows the lack of negative consequences for the publication of such dangerous material.

Zaphod eventually discovers that Zarniwoop is part of a large conspiracy to find the Ruler of the Universe. Before lobotomizing himself, Zaphod planned with Zarniwoop to uncover the truth about who truly rules the Universe. Zaphod, the former President of the Galaxy, and Zarniwoop, the editor of the Universe’s most famous tour guide, serve as representatives of institutional knowledge in the novel. They want to know whose authority could possibly exceed their own.

When they finally meet the man who rules the Universe, their reactions contrast. Zaphod is pleased by how disinterested and detached the man seems, while Zarniwoop is very annoyed by the idea that someone like this “affects the lives and fates of millions of people” (205). To Zarniwoop, this is “monstrously wrong.” In this sense, he represents a total investment in the significance and power of institutions. To learn that such power is a mirage is an attack of Zarniwoop’s view of how the Universe should function. He’s left stranded on the planet by Zaphod, just as he’s left ideologically stranded by learning that the Universe doesn’t function how he had always assumed.