Previous
Peer Pressure vs. Self-Empowerment
Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in It’s Kind of a Funny Story, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
At the beginning of It’s Kind of a Funny Story, Craig believes that he is someone who struggles to make friends and form romantic relationships. Over the course of several days in an adult psychiatric hospital, however, Craig learns that his fears about new relationships are based on low self-esteem and that all sorts of people are willing to form relationships with him. Within moments of arriving, Craig meets people like Bobby, Johnny, and Humble, who are older than Craig and come from different backgrounds but immediately take a liking to him, bonding over their shared mental health struggles. Craig also meets Noelle and is surprised to learn that a girl he finds so attractive also seems to like him.
A turning point for Craig is when Nia breaks up with Aaron and comes to visit Craig in the hospital. Craig learns that Nia might have reciprocated his feelings if he’d made an advance on her earlier, but he ultimately learns that maybe it’s for the best that he was never in a relationship with her because of their incompatible personalities. Craig also learns difficult lessons about friendship—while his fellow patients help him during his time of need, Bobby ultimately refuses to give Craig his phone number, believing that it would be best for Craig not to get too attached. Craig is disappointed at first but eventually realizes that as important as his friendships and romantic relationship are, his primary focus while he’s in the psychiatric hospital should be to learn to manage his own symptoms. It’s Kind of a Funny Story dramatizes how even people who think they are unworthy of love of friendship have a lot to offer, but it also shows how relationships alone cannot fix a person’s underlying mental health issues, even if they do play a role in learning to manage them.
Related Themes from Other Texts
Compare and contrast themes from other texts to this theme…
Friendship and Romance ThemeTracker
The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Friendship and Romance appears in each chapter of It’s Kind of a Funny Story. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
How often theme appears:
chapter length:
Chapter
Chapter 1
1
Chapter 2
2
Chapter 3
3
Chapter 4
4
Chapter 5
5
Chapter 6
6
Chapter 7
7
Chapter 8
8
Chapter 9
9
Chapter 10
10
Chapter 11
11
Chapter 12
12
Chapter 13
13
Chapter 14
14
Chapter 15
15
Chapter 16
16
Chapter 17
17
Chapter 18
18
Chapter 19
19
Chapter 20
20
Chapter 21
21
Chapter 22
22
Chapter 23
23
Chapter 24
24
Chapter 25
25
Chapter 26
26
Chapter 27
27
Chapter 28
28
Chapter 29
29
Chapter 30
30
Chapter 31
31
Chapter 32
32
Chapter 33
33
Chapter 34
34
Chapter 35
35
Chapter 36
36
Chapter 37
37
Chapter 38
38
Chapter 39
39
Chapter 40
40
Chapter 41
41
Chapter 42
42
Chapter 43
43
Chapter 44
44
Chapter 45
45
Chapter 46
46
Chapter 47
47
Chapter 48
48
Chapter 49
49
Chapter 50
50
Get the entire It’s Kind of a Funny Story LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Friendship and Romance Quotes in It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Below you will find the important quotes in It’s Kind of a Funny Story related to the theme of Friendship and Romance.
Chapter 10 Quotes
I had a sudden urge to walk out over the trussing and lean over the water, to declare myself to the world. Once it came into my head, I couldn’t push it away.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
This quote describes the first time that Craig thought seriously about suicide. Notably, the idea sneaks up on him and he doesn’t realize at first what he’s doing. Craig initially thinks that he is just out having fun with his friends Aaron and Ronny while Nia is asleep back at Aaron’s place. The idea of walking to a dangerous part of the Brooklyn Bridge just seems like a sudden and exciting whim to Craig at first. But once Craig follows this whim, he realizes that it has put his life in danger and that the sense of freedom and exhilaration Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti
Chapter 14 Quotes
“He’s always talking about himself and his problems. Like you. You’re both self-centered. Only, you have a low opinion of yourself, so it’s tolerable. He has a really high opinion of himself. It’s a pain.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this quote, Nia draws an important distinction between Craig and his friend Aaron. Both boys, in Nia’s mind, are highly self-absorbed. But while Craig has low self-esteem, Aaron has high self-esteem. Craig thinks of himself as inadequate compared to others, and this is often a source of shame for him. But as Nia points out, Craig’s lack of self-confidence can in some ways be a good thing, making him less boastful than someone like Aaron, who has a high opinion of himself. Nia, who herself has a complicated relationship with both Craig and Aaron and is not an impartial Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi neces
Chapter 28 Quotes
“You want my girl, dude. You’ve wanted her for like two years. You’re mad that you didn’t get her, and now you’ve decided to turn being mad into being depressed, and now you’re off somewhere, probably getting turned into somebody’s bitch, trying to play the pity card to get her to end up with you … And I call you as a friend to try and lighten your mood and you hit me with all of this crap? Who do you think you are?”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this quote, Aaron calls Craig at the psychiatric hospital and, after an increasingly heated exchange, reveals some of the negative things that he thinks about Craig. Although Aaron has been Craig’s best friend for a while, this phone call brings up some of the resentment that has been building in each of them over their course of their friendship. Although this passage is full of conflict, it is also the beginning of Craig and Aaron’s journey toward being more open with each other. Craig’s feelings of inadequacy compared to Aaron were initially one of the factors driving his depression. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta ita
Chapter 29 Quotes
“I have shirts. I’ll lend you a shirt.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Just before this quote, Bobby tells Craig and Johnny that he has an interview coming up for an “adult home”—a place where he can stay to receive psychiatric support but also be able to leave and hold a job. Craig offers to lend him a shirt for the interview since Bobby doesn’t have any nice ones. Bobby accepts Craig’s offer, and he ultimately aces the interview. Craig’s realization—“I have shirts”—is his first small step in realizing that he has things that might not seem valuable to him but are very valuable to other people. A shirt that is not worth Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Pe
Chapter 31 Quotes
“I have to have surgery to clear them up. You think I should?”
“No. Why hide what you’ve been through?”
“I don’t know if that’s really a question. It’s too obvious. Wouldn’t I be happier without scars?”
“I don’t know. It’s tough to tell what would make you happy. I thought I’d be happier in a really tough high school, and I ended up here.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
This quote is part of a long game of asking and answering questions that Noelle invites Craig to play during their first private meeting together. Initially, the questions begin on a surface level, but as the question game goes on, the questions become more personal, and Craig and Noelle start to become more vulnerable with each other. Craig’s advice to Noelle—that she shouldn’t hide her scars because she shouldn’t have to hide what she’s been through—is a little bit ironic, given how much Craig used to try to hide the symptoms of his depression from his family and friends. In Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi at
Chapter 34 Quotes
“You don’t want any of your Anchors being members of the opposite sex you’re attracted to,” Dr. Minerva says. “Relationships change even more than people. It’s like two people changing. It’s exponentially more volatile. Especially two teenagers.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this quote, Craig’s usual therapist, Dr. Minerva, comes to see Craig at the psychiatric hospital, and she talks with him about “Anchors” and “Tentacles,” two concepts Craig himself invented to think about and make sense of his depression. “Tentacles” are unpleasant tasks and responsibilities that invade Craig’s life, while “Anchors” are the things that bring Craig comfort and help him feel better. Although Craig thinks that finding a girlfriend—and particularly winning over Noelle—will help make him happier, Dr. Minerva warns him that putting too much pressure on something so “volatile” could be unwise. In other words, she is trying Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perfe
Chapter 39 Quotes
“You’re not like all these other people with their stupid little problems. You’re like, really screwed up.” She giggles. “In the good way. The way that gives experience.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
After Nia comes to visit Craig in the psychiatric hospital and tells him that she recently broke up with Aaron, she offers the above observation about Craig being “really screwed up,” apparently as an attempt at flirtation. Craig has liked Nia for a long time, and at one point, Nia coming to say that she likes Craig would have been his fantasy come true. But while Nia starts out by complimenting Craig on his maturity, she eventually says that the thing she likes about Craig is that he’s “really screwed up,” almost as though she is fetishizing his depression. Although Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur labor
Chapter 41 Quotes
“You were the one who suggested I do stuff from childhood,” I continue. “I used to do these when I was a kid, and I forgot how fun they were.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this quote, Craig thanks Noelle for helping him to come up with the idea to draw maps back in Joanie’s art class. He presents Noelle with a gift of a drawing of a male figure and a female figure, with maps in place of their brains. Craig’s conversation with Noelle contrasts with his recent conversations with Nia. Whereas Nia and Craig each spoke to an unrealistic, idealized version of each other, Noelle helps Craig to learn more about himself in an authentic way. Craig’s journey as a character involves getting back to the happiness he felt as a child Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessi
Chapter 46 Quotes
“Yeah, well, all the worse, then, when you try to call me or Johnny up and find out that we’ve OD’ed, or been shot, or come back here even worse, or just disappeared.”
“That’s a pretty negative view.”
“I’ve seen it before. You just remember us, okay? We meet in the outside world, it just ruins it. You’ll be embarrassed of me and I . . .” He smiles. “… I might be embarrassed of me, too. And I might be embarrassed of you, if you don’t keep your stuff together.”
“Thanks. You sure no numbers?”
Bobby shakes my hand. “If we need to, we’ll meet.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this quote, Bobby, one of Craig’s closest friends in the psychiatric hospital, surprises Craig by refusing to give him his phone number, essentially cutting off all possibility of contact with Craig after he leaves. Craig is at first hurt by this decision, believing that Bobby has a “pretty negative view” of the world that is distorting his actions. The novel doesn’t reveal what ultimately happens to Bobby, leaving it open-ended as to whether Bobby’s decision in this passage was the right one. Based on Bobby’s past life, Bobby’s pessimistic predictions for the future could be warranted, but the novel Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit ea
Chapter 48 Quotes
“This I have not heard in so long!” He’s grinning so much I think his glasses are going to fall off.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this quote, Muqtada reacts joyfully to the Egyptian music that Aaron has helped Craig bring into the psychiatric hospital. Muqtada is typically a reserved and stern person who doesn’t seem to have much in common with Craig, being much older and coming from around the world in Egypt. Although Craig initially keeps Muqtada at a distance, he learns through the course of his time at the hospital that he can find things in common even with someone who seems as different from him as Muqtada. That Craig and Muqtada both suffer from severe mental health problems, despite their very Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas de
Chapter 50 Quotes
I’m not better, you know. The weight hasn’t left my head. I feel how easily I could fall back into it, lie down and not eat, waste my time and curse wasting my time, look at my homework and freak out and go and chill at Aaron’s, look at Nia and be jealous again, take the subway home and hope that it has an accident, go and get my bike and head to the Brooklyn Bridge. All of that is still there. The only thing is, it’s not an option now. It’s just… a possibility, like it’s a possibility that I could turn to dust in the next instant and be disseminated throughout the universe as an omniscient consciousness. It’s not a very likely possibility.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this quote, Craig dismisses the idea that just because he has managed to get discharged from the psychiatric hospital, he has also overcome all his mental health issues. Craig’s story does end happily, but in this passage, Craig adds a more somber note of realism to the story, acknowledging that there’s no guarantee that his current period of happiness will last. Craig realizes that he could fall back into the same old patterns of caving to peer pressure and school-related stress, but at the current moment, he feels like that possibility is as remote as being turned into “an Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium e
So now live for real, Craig. Live. Live. Live. Live.
Live.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
After Craig briefly acknowledges the challenges he still faces going forward, the final lines of the book are a joyful celebration of life. Craig talks to himself, telling himself to “live for real,” suggesting that there was something false and empty about his previous life, in which his anxiety and depression consumed him and left him feeling disempowered and hopeless. Craig was so obsessed with trying to achieve success through external sources (like through academic success or relationships, for instance) that he didn’t think about what he wanted for himself. His command of “Live” to himself suggests that he is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ip
