What is a symbol of submission in the novel, A Wolf Called Wander?

Bowing is a symbol of submission. When Wander is leaving his tunnel for the first time, he encounters Growl, a mature wolf whose very voice makes Wander bow without conscious thought. In another scene, Father says that “Anyone who tangles with a porcupine bows to him forever after” (21). Because Wander does not want to be submissive to anyone else, he leaves the porcupine alone.