I already liked Noelle's character a lot in chapters 1-4, but I love how chapter 5 expands on her - particularly in the ways she's secretly much more similar to her mother than previously shown.
previous chapters show very well the ways in which she takes after her father. she's kind, she's funny, she tries to be easy-going, she's able to get along with difficult people. she's drawn to assertive women. while Rudy seems rougher than her on the surface, it's clear he's actually the level-headed one between himself and Carol, and in most circumstances, Noelle tries to be the voice of reason with her friends in a similar way.
in chapter 5, it turns out she also has that hidden iron core that Carol has. I think it's likely she normally hides it on purpose because she's trying so hard to be agreeable and just get through the day, but it's clearly been in there all along. it's somewhat more subtle in the normal route, where she gradually becomes more confident, but in the weird route, her recent traumatic experiences cause her to snap and suddenly change drastically. like her mother, she works hard, she's diligent, and she sticks to her assigned social role, even though none of it seems to be making her happy. she's going through the motions, waiting for something to change. they both miss Dess to the point of stagnation. once Noelle has become distant enough from other people (through leveling up/"becoming strong"), she begins showing the same calculating streak and fierce determination that Carol seems to have. she becomes aggressive, controlling, and overly goal-oriented to the point of scaring her loved ones. when they show distress, she pressures them into following her orders, prioritizing her goals first and foremost, no matter how badly it scars those she cares about. she cracks that same cold, lopsided smile that her mother does (pulling up further on their left sides) when something finally seems to be going her way.
idk, I just love that for her. extremely interesting twist on the "goody two-shoes girl next door" archetype. a sudden and shocking twist that actually isn't so shocking when you remember who her mother is. I wonder if that's why we were introduced to Carol in chapter 4 specifically - first we see how drastically different she seems to be from her otherwise warm and kindhearted family, then we find out that her youngest daughter takes after her in some surprising ways after all ...
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