Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Paper Towns, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Perception vs. Reality
Authenticity and Artificiality
Human Connection
Leaving Home and Growing Up
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
As they resume driving, Quentin and his friends clean the broken glass and spilled soda from the floor of the minivan as best they can. Radar estimates that the cost of replacing the sliding door will be more than $300. For Quentin, the money is nothing compared to the relief and happiness he will feel if they find Margo. Outside, the sun is rising.
That Quentin stays calm facing the mess and damage caused by the accident illustrates how much stronger and more stable he has become. Whereas small transgressions like missing school once seemed like major issues to him, he now absorbs the chaos around him with a clear sense of what really matters.
Themes
