Dad Character Analysis in They Both Die at the End

Mateo’s dad has been in a coma in the hospital for two weeks when Mateo receives his call from Death-Cast. Dad had many hopes for the future, but few came true. He lost his wife, Mateo’s mom, when she gave birth to Mateo; Dad raised Mateo on his own. Dad also hoped that Mateo would go to a college that wasn’t online and that Mateo would one day have kids and pass down the family name—but with Mateo’s impending death, neither of these things will happen. Regardless, Dad and Mateo had a close and loving relationship. Dad loved making lists and thought they were extremely funny, though Mateo insists they weren’t. In a game that Rufus and Mateo play in which they talk about their future as though it’s the past, Mateo says he got a tattoo of a seahorse to honor Dad—Dad always thought of himself as akin to a male seahorse, which raises its babies alone. By the end of the novel, Dad still hasn’t woken up. Mateo leaves Dad a photo of them in Dad’s hospital room and writes a note on the back. After Mateo dies, Rufus returns to Dad’s room and adds a note, introducing himself and leaving his Instagram username so that Dad can follow Mateo and Rufus’s journey on their End Day—and so that he can learn that Mateo was gay.

Dad Quotes in They Both Die at the End

The They Both Die at the End quotes below are all either spoken by Dad or refer to Dad. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Fast-forward five years when Death-Cast came into the picture and suddenly everyone was awake at their own funerals. Having the chance to say goodbye before you die is an incredible opportunity, but isn’t that time better spent actually living? Maybe I would feel differently if I could count on people showing up to my funeral. If I had more friends than I do fingers.

Related Characters: Mateo Torrez (speaker), Lidia, Dad

Page Number and Citation: 7

Explanation and Analysis:

Twelve hours ago I received the phone call telling me I’m going to die today. In my own Mateo way, I’ve said tons of goodbyes already [...] but the most important goodbye is the one I said to Past Mateo, who I left behind at home when my Last Friend accompanied me into a world that has it out for us. Rufus has done so much for me and I’m here to help him confront any demons following him [...]

Related Characters: Mateo Torrez (speaker), Rufus Emeterio, Lidia, Dad, Mateo’s Mom

Page Number and Citation: 227

Explanation and Analysis:

“I know there’s no time to waste, but I had to be sure you are who I thought you were. The best thing about dying is your friendship.” I never thought I would find someone I could say words like this to.

Related Characters: Mateo Torrez (speaker), Rufus Emeterio, Dad, Mateo’s Mom

Related Symbols: Mateo’s Birth

Page Number and Citation: 308

Explanation and Analysis:

Dad Character Timeline in They Both Die at the End

The timeline below shows where the character Dad appears in They Both Die at the End. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Business, Ethics, and Dehumanization Theme Icon

...Mateo knows he’s dying today at 18 years old. Mateo wants to hide or get angry—Dad chose the wrong time to end up in intensive care, and Mateo’s mom marked him... (full context)

...He sinks to the floor. There are only a few people Mateo will miss, including Dad and Mateo’s best friend, Lidia. Mateo is a “paranoid mess,” so no one wanted to... (full context)

Human Connection and Social Media Theme Icon

...to clear his head of confusing “Mateo Thoughts.” He decides to tell no one but Dad, but Dad isn’t awake anyway. He knows he has to go out and at least... (full context)

...daughter is going to get to him in time. Mateo knows he has to visit Dad. He sits on Dad’s bed and grabs the framed photo of him and Dad blowing... (full context)

...about $2,000. Then, he downloads Last Friend. He fills out his profile and notes that Dad is in a coma, that he loves the Scorpius Hawthorne book series, and that he... (full context)

...to be rude, Mateo messages her back. They chat until Wendy Mae says that Mateo’s dad must be losing it. Mateo says he’s done talking, but Wendy Mae asks if they... (full context)

...going to make him suddenly fearless. Mateo says that he has to say goodbye to Dad and Lidia, and he heads for the subway. Rufus says he’s game and mentions his... (full context)

...he did to Peck to the grave. Mateo explains that they have to see his dad. Rufus considers biking instead of taking the subway, but then he decides to follow Mateo... (full context)

...when it’s possible that they won’t live long enough for Mateo to say goodbye to Dad and Lidia. Rufus insists it’s just a party and thinks that Mateo might keep them... (full context)

...into the hospital. Mateo reads the receptionist’s nametag and asks the receptionist, Jared, to see Dad. Jared refuses to let Mateo see Dad outside of visiting hours—until Rufus notes that Mateo... (full context)

...confident once he’s said goodbye. He leaves Rufus in the waiting area and goes to Dad’s room. Dad has been here for almost two weeks, since he suffered a stroke. Mateo... (full context)

Elizabeth, Dad’s nurse, enters and assures Mateo that Dad is in good hands. Mateo knows he has... (full context)

Mateo asks for 10 more minutes alone. He takes Dad’s hand and says it’s his turn to tell a story; he hopes Dad can hear.... (full context)

...hospital; that’s what someone would’ve had to do to get Rufus away from his own dad. After 10 minutes, Rufus cracks the door and hears Mateo singing. Mateo jumps, bright red,... (full context)

It’s not too late to run back to Dad, but Mateo doesn’t want to put people at the hospital at risk. He wants to... (full context)

...to Mateo and hugs him, and Mateo hugs him back. The man reminds him of Dad. The man thanks Mateo and Rufus and walks away. Rufus says that hopefully, karma will... (full context)

...anything, to yell for her. Mateo sizes up his French toast, which reminds him of Dad. He offers some to Rufus, but Rufus grabs Rae’s forgotten notepad, starts to draw a... (full context)

...that Howie Maldonado got his alert today, and Mateo shares that there’s nothing new with Dad. He tickles and burps Penny, thinking he’ll never get to do this with his own... (full context)

...stumble into the Alice in Wonderland sculpture, which Mateo has never seen since he and Dad spent more time in Althea Park. (full context)

...Indiana Jones. With a smile, Mateo says he watched those movies obsessively as a kid; Dad would hide “treasure”—laundry money—for Mateo to find. (full context)

...bleeding if she hadn’t been holding him. He recounts one of his favorite stories that Dad told about Mom and asks if he’s going to find love in heaven, since he... (full context)

Mateo and Rufus talk about their different experiences in Althea Park: it’s where Dad taught Mateo about clouds, and it’s where Rufus kissed a girl. Mateo marvels that he... (full context)

...advice to use his voice. Mateo tells Rufus that when he was nine, he asked Dad if love was hiding under the couch or in the closet. Dad told Mateo that... (full context)

...Jump. They walk through a rainforest room and listen to tree frogs. Mateo thinks of Dad’s stories of catching frogs to sell as pets when he was a kid. They reach... (full context)

...to Mateo and over the loud cheers, says that he knows Mateo stopped singing to Dad when he interrupted—but no one is judging him and he has to go for it.... (full context)

...the garden where Mateo buried the bird. Mateo asks if it’s okay if they visit Dad again as he leads Rufus up the stairs. Rufus is fine with that. Mateo says... (full context)

...that he had a panic attack earlier, but he wants to clean up so that Dad doesn’t know he was scared when Dad comes home. Rufus says that he doesn’t like... (full context)

...Rufus will kill him for leaving the bed, but he wants to introduce Rufus to Dad and to make tea. He puts the kettle on the stove and switches the burner... (full context)

...together. She picks up the phone and Rufus says he’s still at the hospital, where Dad is. He wants to visit Dad and tell him that Mateo is gay, since Mateo... (full context)

...Rufus refuses to stay in bed and decides to honor Mateo’s last wish by visiting Dad. Rufus marches into the room, where Dad is still in a coma. Rufus takes a... (full context)

Rufus picks up the photo of Dad and Mateo on Mateo’s birthday. He wishes he’d known Mateo longer, and he reads the... (full context)