Ch. 12 "I did not cry then or ever about Finny. I did not even cry when I stood watching him being lowered into his family's strait-laced burial ground outside of Boston. I could not escape the feeling that this was my own funeral, and you do not cry in that case." (194)

Wow! That was one thing that I did not expect at all int this book for Finny to die because a broken leg "usually" is not such a life-threatening injury. I chose this quote because I think it shows how that after Finny is gone, deep down Gene really was best friends with Finny and he actually liked him in spite of what had happened between them. When Gene says Finny's funeral was his own funeral I believe that a part of Gene died too. Ever since the second Gene pushed Finny out of the tree, he had felt sorry for it and tried to gain back Finny's trust whether he knew it or not. I do not think that Gene cried because I think he was too shocked to cry. Seeing his best friend die was bad enough, but the two of them had argued the last time they had talked so that must have hurt Gene a lot. Also, Gene must have been shocked from how his best friend, the most athletic and toughest kid in school, had died the way he did without coming to peace with him. Taking away Finny's athletic ability is nothing compared to the feeling Gene must have for being partially responsible for his death.

How will Gene and his friends react in he long term to Finny's death? Will Gene go crazy in the future, somewhat like Leper did?