This Boy's Life Guilt and Blame Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

"One night he kissed me, or I kissed him, or we kissed each other. It surprised us both. After that, whenever we felt particularly close, we turned on each other." (18.17)

Here's a little pre-teen homophobia to spice things up. The fact that Jack isn't sure who started the kiss means that the boys can side-step their guilt by blaming the other boy.

Quote #8

"When I think of Chinook, I have to search for the faces of my friends, their voices, the rooms where I was made welcome. But I can always see Dwight's face and hear his voice." (25.15)

We're more "blame" here than guilt, but the message is still clear: when the blame gets through, it does more damage than all of the good times and good feelings of his teen years can overcome. It stays with him forever.

Quote #9

"I knew that Mr. Bolger would see through me and be disgusted." (26.8)

Here's another case where a religious person, soft-spoken and not especially inclined to throw his fists around, ends up causing more guilt than Dwight and his thumpings ever could.