Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Everything, Everything, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Coming of Age
Trust and Lies
Family, Abuse, and Bravery
The Value of Experience
Summary
Analysis
Olly isn’t on the wall the next day. Both he and Maddy sound sleep-deprived and Olly admits that he wishes he could disappear and leave his parents. Maddy wants to comfort him, but she thinks that words aren’t enough. This is why people touch. Olly asks why it feels like he’s always known Maddy. Maddy feels the same way. Olly says the world can change in a moment, that no one but possibly Maddy is innocent, and that Olly’s dad hasn’t always been this way.
The realization that touch is an important part of the human experience shows that as Maddy and Olly grow closer, Maddy is learning that her life inside is unfulfilling and doesn’t offer her a full range of experiences. Wanting to comfort Olly, meanwhile, also speaks to how close they’re becoming as a result of Olly being truthful about what’s going on at home.
Themes
