Whereas, Nobby does change. I love the way he sets up Fred with questions that highlight Fred's ignorance and bigotry. There's some hope for Fred in Snuff, but we never see him again as far as I remember. There's an old episode (I think) of the Twilight Zone, where a racist wakes up to find he has turned into a Black man. And he gets to experience bigotry from the other side. This is a bit like what happens to Fred in Snuff.
Actually, I think we first see this bit - i.e. Nobby's "innocent" questions that demolish Fred's "street bigotry" - back in "Jingo", when Fred and Nobby discuss the "Klatchian's Head" pub.
I think that episode of "The Twilight Zone" - i.e. a bigot who experiences bigotry from the other side - happens to Colon in "Jingo", too!
First, he talks about "the stupid Klatchians" who are too lazy to do a day's job of work, etc. (which Nobby demolishes with: you mean like Mister Goriff? Only he works all day and all night to provide for his family). *LOL* Then Colon talks about how the Klatchians only discover things that begin with "al", like al-gebra and al-cohol ... and the number zero. Nobby's reactions are priceless.
Not long after, of course, Colon and Nobby visit Klatch ... and toward the end of the book, we find out how much Colon's perceptions have changed. When he and Nobby visit "The Klatchian's Head" again, Colon says that their beer is basically piss.
So ... say what you like about Colon, at least he's capable of learning from his experiences and changing his mind.
IIRC, Colon and Nobby have a similar experience in "Thud!", after they visit the art gallery. Colon says that art is just artsy-fartsy blokes painting young ladies in the nudd; Nobby corrects him; and it's hilarious.
Actually, Colon and Nobby have a cameo or two in Raising Steam, where their main job is to serve as jailkeepers for the captured train terrorists. In keeping in character, they completely avoid the fighting but later make up their usual lies about their battling prowess.
I just had a thought about Colon's and Nobby's cowardice, because they didn't actually start out as cowards. In G!G!, Colon is even brave enough to try and emulate Bard the Bowman, even faced with a raging dragon. That's very brave.
As for Nobby ... well, consider how big he is, compared to how big most of the clientele of A-M's bars are. In a sense, he's one of nature's downtrodden - like the yudasgoat in FOC, like the goblins, and even (almost) like the Feegles - but without their tattoos, weapons, or fighting spirit. The only thing Nobby and the Feegles have in common is that once their enemy is defeated, they kick him when he's down.
But Nobby and Colon share their cowardliness with two other major characters - Rincewind and Moist - and I think "cowardliness" is the wrong word. All four characters are placed in positions of extreme danger. All four of them want to survive, which is reasonable. The difference between them is in how they confront that danger:
1. Rincewind mostly runs away. But he occasionally turns and faces the danger, even though he's probably widdling his trousers. See the climaxes of TLF or Sourcery for examples.
2. Moist tries to avoid danger or outwit it. Sometimes he gets outside help (e.g. the goblin potion in RS).
3. Fred Colon sometimes runs away, but sometimes faces the danger when he doesn't even know it's there. (See the Fred-chased-by-a-golem scenes in FOC). Sometimes Fred faces danger when he has no choice (as in the Klatch scenes in Jingo).
4. Nobby mostly runs away from danger (e.g. when the conspirators try to make him king in FOC). Given his tiny stature and lack of strength, you can't blame him.
He is obviously smarter than Colon, but they are both born survivors, and - like Moist and Rincewind - they are very, VERY lucky.
