I admit the reason Alan Mendohlson is as he is, is that he's a trickster and one of the classic ways to write trickster stories is from the point of view of the straight man, in this case Leonard Neeble. Leonard does gain some of the power and chaos of the trickster by the end, but the trickster himself is ultimately unknowable.

Molly O'Malley is much more of a hero archetype when you're reading from her POV, albeit one who has some traditionally male-coded heroic traits like planning and leading, but also some traditionally female-coded traits, like making friends and appreciating food. From the outside, she might be a bit of a trickster but without the sharp edges and malice underpinning much of Alan Mendohlson's actions.

(And yes, he's always "Alan Mendohlson.")