How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
So why do I feel so guilty? I don't sleep so good at night. I keep seein' the fire and hearin' his screams and feelin' so helpless. He was too young to die like that. It's not fair. He never had a chance. Was all this done to teach us kids a lesson? Will it stop us from drinkin' and drivin'? Maybe—a few. (5.2)
B.J.'s prayer tells us that he feels guilty over Robbie's death even though he wasn't drinking—or driving. Why? He wishes he would have stopped the guys from being so reckless, but he went along with it so they would like him.
Quote #2
"You can't blame yourself forever, Andy. And if you had died instead of Rob, would you want him to be hurting like you are now?" (7.10)
With his coach, Andy admits how he really feels. He wants to be dead instead of Rob. But his coach readily counters by inviting him to consider a different scenario, one in which Andy lives and Robbie dies. It isn't just his coach who doesn't think Andy doesn't deserve happiness—he points out that Robbie wouldn't think so either.
Quote #3
"Even I thought it was a real easy sentence, maybe too easy. Do you think that was right? Shouldn't I been sent to jail or somethin'?" (7.43)
Andy thinks he should be suffering more for what he did. This is classic guilt: You want to punish yourself for something, even when others think you're suffering plenty. Andy thinks he got off easy with the court, so he takes it upon himself to play the blame-game.