LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in It’s Kind of a Funny Story, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Mental Health
Art and Self-Discovery
Peer Pressure vs. Self-Empowerment
Friendship and Romance
Summary
Analysis
Aaron arrives as a visitor with the record Egyptian Masters Volume Three. He apologizes to Craig, saying he’s had a weird past few days. He admits he freaked out when he found out Nia was on anti-depressants because his parents take a lot of pills and he didn’t want more of that in his life. He and Nia did eventually get back together, however. Aaron apologizes, and Craig says the Egyptian record helps make up for it.
One of the distinctive features of this novel is that it lacks a clear villain, partly due to author Ned Vizzini’s commitment to realism. Aaron has done things to hurt Craig, either intentionally or through misunderstanding, but he shows himself capable of remorse, and this emphasizes how people can have surprising depth to them.