“Fear can’t hurt you any more than a dream.”

Quoted from William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies. This quotation introduces “The Julian Chapter.” It summarizes Julian’s journey with fear and nightmares. At first, he is horrified by Auggie, and he doesn’t want his nightmares to return. As he learns that fear is natural, it has less control over his life.

“There’s no rule book that tells you how to act in every given situation in life, you know? So what I always say is that it’s always better to err on the side of kindness. That’s the secret. If you don’t know what to do, just be kind.” 

This quotation shows Mr. Tushman’s approach to teaching children. He believes that children are capable of profound things if they are supported by adults. Rather than isolate his students from Auggie, he believes that being around Auggie is an opportunity for them to grow.

“That’s the thing about being scared, though. You can’t control it. When you’re scared, you’re scared.”

As children grow up, they learn how to cope with their fears and anxieties in healthy or unhealthy ways. Julian’s parents have tried to remove triggers for Julian’s fear. This doesn’t work in the long term because there are things outside of their control. As Julian talks with Mr. Browne and Grandmère, he learns that he can still be kind even when he is afraid.