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Chapter 9
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in That Was Then, This Is Now, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Humility, Responsibility, and Coming of Age
Brotherhood, Loyalty, and Betrayal
Rules and Consequences
Violence and Revenge
Love and Selflessness
Summary
Analysis
That evening, a doctor tells Cathy, Bryon, and Mr. Carlson that M&M’s psychological damage could be permanent—he doesn’t think M&M will ever be the same. After the doctor has finished speaking with them, Bryon and Cathy get ready to leave. Mr. Carlson says that he’s really proud of what Bryon has done and calls him “son.” In the car, Cathy breaks down crying, and Bryon tries to comfort her. Cathy says that she loves Bryon and that she doesn’t know what she would have done without him.
The fact that M&M’s brain may be permanently damaged is sobering for Bryon. It undermines any remaining feelings of invincibility that Bryon might have, knowing that—unlike Mark’s earlier assertion—bad things can happen to kids. Meanwhile, Bryon’s love for Cathy and his ensuing selflessness strengthen the love Cathy has for him and creates reciprocal trust and loyalty in their relationship.
Themes
After Bryon drops Cathy off, he returns to his room, but Mark isn’t home yet. Bryon feels completely worn out. He thinks how simple life used to be, and how now things seem so complicated. Bryon searches for a cigarette under Mark’s mattress, but instead he discovers a bottle of pills. Immediately, Bryon realizes that Mark has been selling drugs. This is where he has been getting his money, and this is why he knew about the hippie house. Bryon then realizes that M&M might be mentally impaired for life, and Mark is selling the drugs that made him that way. Thinking of M&M losing his mind and Cathy in pain, Bryon decides to call the cops.
This represents the true breaking point for Bryon and Mark’s relationship, as he feels completely betrayed by Mark’s drug-dealing. Even if Mark didn’t necessarily sell drugs to M&M, Bryon connects the events because he understands that Mark could have easily caused this kind of bad trip in someone else. Mark’s decision highlights the differences that have arisen between the boys: Bryon has gained a respectable job and cares about the consequences of his actions on others, whereas Mark simply continues his reckless, illegal activity and cares only about himself.
Themes
Soon after, Mark walks in, and Bryon confronts him about the drugs. Bryon explains that M&M may have lost his mind on an acid trip, but Mark claims that he didn’t sell any drugs to M&M. Drug addicts can always get drugs from somewhere, Mark says, and so he might as well make some money. Bryon thinks that Mark has no concept of right and wrong—the law doesn’t matter to him.
Mark’s justification for his actions only proves to Bryon how little Mark cares about the ramifications of his actions on others. Rather than realizing how severely his decisions could harm kids who have bad trips or overdose on drugs, he instead focuses on the prospect of making money.
Themes
Mark says that if selling drugs bothers Bryon so much, he’ll stop. Bryon then admits that he called the cops, and Mark goes into shock. The police arrive, and their sirens wake up Bryon’s mother. Mark doesn’t resist as the police put him in handcuffs, or while Bryon tells the cops about all the crimes Mark has committed. Just as the police pull him out of the house, Mark cries out to Bryon, asking him not to let them take them away. Bryon doesn’t move, and a cop shoves Mark out the door. Bryon’s mother sobs, and Bryon goes into the bathroom and throws up.
Bryon’s decision to turn Mark in to the police represents another irreparable betrayal, shattering Bryon and Mark’s years-long the bond of loyalty. Bryon’s throwing up shows how turning on the person he loved most in the world is even physically debilitating for him. Vomiting can even be read as a metaphor for Bryon’s betrayal, as in both cases he is ridding himself of something that has been making him unwell in order to feel better.
Themes
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