“[A]nd if he thinks about it too much, he can fall down a kind of hole and it’s like he’s experiencing his life at a one-step remove, as if he’s not leading his life but rather assessing and appraising a life that weirdly, unfortunately, happens to be his.” 

Early on, Samuel is lost. He has allowed his past—his regrets, his anger, his questions—to distance himself from his present. The lengthy investigation into his mother’s life allows him to at last reconnect with himself.

“You’re just not very smart.” 

Samuel’s cutting (if honest) assessment of his student caught plagiarizing a paper reflects how far Samuel needs to grow. Samuel lacks any empathy for the struggles and problems of the failing student; honesty is not empathy. 

“‘It’s okay,’ she says. “Don’t be scared.’” 

Faye’s last words before her abrupt departure from young Samuel’s life stay with Samuel, but he misunderstands. He misses entirely Faye’s offer of empowerment, her challenge to her 11-year old son to approach life with courage, confidence, and direction.