How It All Goes Down
April 29, 1992
- Wow, Charlie's feeling pretty fatalistic at the beginning of this letter: "It can't be like it was. And I wasn't ready to say good-bye just yet" (4.1.2).
- He's acting like he expected to lose everything from the beginning.
- For the last week or so, he's been doing a lot of people watching—at school, at the mall. Sometimes he follows people around to see how they act. His behavior toes that fine line between really interesting in a psychological way and really creepy in a weirdo stalker way.
- The only human interaction he attempts to make is with Susan, the girl who used to go out with Michael before he died.
- Without any warning, Charlie walks up to her and says, "Do you ever miss him?" (4.1.18).
- It's not a surprise—or very nice—when Susan's friends call Charlie a freak.
- But even Charlie agrees with them at this point.