Please Ignore Vera Dietz Theme of Guilt and Blame

In Please Ignore Vera's Death, the circumstances surrounding Charlie's death are rife with guilt and grief. Who's responsible for killing him? Why was he such a jerk to Vera up until the end of his life? And who's to blame for burning down Zimmerman's Pet Shop? Charlie is the one officially blamed for burning down the pet store down, but Vera knows that it's not the case, and the guilt of keeping that secret is eating her up inside. We just have to wait and see how all these characters resolve their personal guilt.

Questions About Guilt and Blame

  1. Do you think that Jenny Flick feels guilty for what she did? Why or why not?
  2. How does Vera deal with the guilt of keeping Charlie's secret and not clearing his name?
  3. Why does Vera feel guilty about never reporting the domestic violence at the Kahn house?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

Even though Jenny Flick is to blame for burning down Zimmerman's Pet Shop and killing Charlie, Vera carries guilt because she feels like she should have been able to stop it.

Vera thinks that her father is disappointed in her when she starts drinking and acting out after Charlie's death, but really, he's just afraid that he's failed her as a single parent.