How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
It was a scary job. I was going to learn how to protect farms and villages from things that go bump in the night. (1.11)
There aren't many real jobs we can think of that are scary, except for personal assistant to the head of a fashion magazine. But Tom's not your average Joe. He's got a little superhero, or at least a little special power, in him. So his duties are far greater than ours.
Quote #2
"There's nothing to be afraid of. [...] Concentrate on him rather than yourself. How must he have felt? What would be the worst thing?" (2.19)
The Spook seems to be saying that fear is a selfish emotion. Tom is scared because he's only concerned about what might happen to him. By thinking about the dead soldier, he understands the soldier more, and his own fears of the ghost disappear.
Quote #3
If I failed the Spook's test, I'd probably be on my way back home as soon as it came light. I imagined my shame at having to tell Mam what had happened. (3.78)
It seems that Tom's more afraid of disappointing his mother than he is of ghosts trying to bury him alive. There are a lot of those mothers in literature—mothers you'd rather stick in a dark alley with the Predator than eat dinner with.