In Niall Ferguson's book, "The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power," he discusses the resilience of different types of networks when subjected to node removal. He highlights a stark contrast in behavior between random graphs, which represent most real-world networks, and scale-free models. When half of the nodes in a random graph are removed, the entire network collapses. This emphasizes how fragile these networks are in the face of significant disruptions.

On the other hand, scale-free networks demonstrate remarkable resilience. Ferguson points out that even after the removal of over 80 percent of the nodes in such networks, a giant connected component remains intact. The average distance between nodes remains almost unchanged, illustrating the robustness of scale-free networks. This resilience is crucial for understanding the stability of various systems, from social networks to the internet.