The Fault in Our Stars: Chapter 19 Summary & Analysis

When Augustus comes home from the hospital a few days later he is in worse shape than ever. He is taking more pain medication and he must sleep upstairs in a hospital bed by the living room window. One day while Hazel is with him, he points to the laundry basket and tells her that he can see his “last shred of dignity” beside it.

The next day Hazel visits. She does not ring the doorbell, but walks right in to find Augustus’ family. Augustus’ sisters are there with their husbands and children. The kids want to know who Hazel is, and one of the boys says, “Gus has a girlfriend.” One of the boys points to her tank and asks why she has it. She tells them it helps her breathe. When she asks if Augustus is asleep, one of the children says, “no, he’s dying.”

When she enters the living room, she finds the family sitting with Augustus. His sisters hug Hazel. One of his sisters is sitting beside Augustus talking to him as if he were an infant. Hazel says, “What’s up, Augustus?” trying to model the appropriate way to talk to him.

After a while, Augustus wakes up and asks if they can go outside. His family kneels around him, barraging him with compliments and questions. When one of his sisters tells Augustus how smart he is, Hazel says that he’s not smart; he’s just good looking. They go back and forth, joking about Augustus’ looks and how he literally took Hazel’s breath away. Augustus’ dad eventually says enough joking, but immediately puts his arm around Hazel and kisses her head. He tells her that he thanks God every day for her.