Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in That Was Then, This Is Now, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Humility, Responsibility, and Coming of Age
Brotherhood, Loyalty, and Betrayal
Rules and Consequences
Violence and Revenge
Love and Selflessness
Summary
Analysis
Sixteen-year-old Bryon Douglas and his 15-year-old friend Mark go to a nearby bar in order to hustle people at pool. It’s against the law to be in the bar because they’re underage, but Bryon is friends with the bartender and owner of the place, Charlie, who helps them avoid the police. Bryon enters the bar and asks Charlie for a Coke. Charlie says that Bryon and Mark have run up a $3 tab, and so he refuses to give Bryon any more Cokes until they pay—or he’ll beat it out of them. Bryon grows nervous, knowing that Charlie is a tough guy and isn’t kidding.
Hinton establishes two key aspects of her main characters’ lives: first, she illustrates that Bryon and Mark have little regard for rules. Not only do they sneak into bars when they are underage, but they also engage in schemes like swindling people at pool. Second, she shows how violence permeates their lives: Charlie’s warning suggests that in their world, violence (and a reputation for being tough) is used as a tool to gain status and keep people to their word.
Themes
Mark comes up to the bar after looking around and tells Bryon that there aren’t any guys they can hustle that day. Charlie warns the boys that one day they’ll get in trouble when someone figures out their scheme. Mark dismisses him and asks for a Coke. Charlie repeats what he said to Bryon, and Mark says that if Charlie gives them the Cokes now, they will pay him tomorrow. Charlie agrees to this proposal but says that if he doesn’t get the money by the following day, he will come looking for them. Bryon observes that Mark has a gift for getting away with anything and for talking people into anything.
Because of Mark’s ability to get away with anything, breaking the rules comes naturally to him. He dismisses any potential consequences for his actions, particularly because he focuses solely on himself rather than how his actions might affect others. This attitude characterizes Mark (and Bryon, as his accomplice) as selfish and very sure of themselves despite their youth—an outlook that’s fairly typical of teenagers. However, Charlie’s warning foreshadows that the boys may not be able to be reckless forever—at some point, they will realize that their actions have consequences for both themselves and other people.
Themes
Charlie then tells Bryon and Mark that their friend M&M came in earlier looking for them, so the two boys finish their Cokes and leave to find M&M. Outside, Bryon asks how Mark is going to acquire the $3 to pay Charlie, and Mark replies that he doesn’t know. Bryon is frustrated, thinking that Mark is always pulling these kinds of stunts. Mark has lived with Bryon and Bryon’s mother since he was nine years old and Bryon was 10, after Mark’s parents shot and killed each other during a drunken argument. For their whole lives, he and Mark have always been best friends and have never had a fight.
Bryon and Mark are not just friends but are essentially brothers. This is true not only because they live together, but also because their bonds of loyalty have always precluded any conflict between them. Yet the fact that Bryon is somewhat annoyed at Mark for lying to Charlie hints that Bryon is more attuned to his sense of right and wrong than Mark is, and that he isn’t as sure of being able to get away with things as Mark is.
Themes
Bryon explains that in looks, he and Mark are opposites: Bryon has dark hair, dark eyes, and is a large guy. Mark, on the other hand, is small and compact, with golden eyes and hair and a grin like that of “a friendly lion.” Bryon thinks of Mark as a brother.
Bryon explicitly confirms the idea that he and Mark are brothers because of their friendship and shared loyalty, even though they are not related by blood. Additionally, Bryon’s description of Mark as a lion will be repeated throughout the novel—and the metaphor will develop in turn with Bryon’s changing opinions of Mark. The phrase “friendly lion” is a kind of paradox, given that lions are known for being ferocious predators. This foreshadows the possibility that Mark won’t always be so friendly and hints at his underlying predatory nature.
Themes
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Bryon and Mark walk around looking for M&M, feeling the cool air of the fall evening. Bryon and Mark find M&M reading in a drug store. M&M is 13 years old, and Bryon describes him as serious, trusting, very nice, and “a little strange.” M&M has dark hair down to his eyebrows and wears a metal peace symbol on a string around his neck. His nickname stems from his addiction to M&M’s—he always has the candy with him.
Although Bryon, Mark, and M&M are all friends, Bryon establishes some of the key differences between the two boys and M&M. While Bryon and Mark are tough ruler-breakers, M&M’s peace necklace indicates that he’s a nonviolent kid. It is also worth noting that Bryon’s choice of the phrase “a little strange,” along with other descriptions of M&M throughout the book, imply that M&M is socially challenged to some degree.
Themes
Mark asks M&M why he was looking for them, but M&M can’t remember. Then, M&M tells them that his sister Cathy is home: she went away to private school the previous year, but she had to come home because she ran out of money to pay for it. Bryon and Mark then decide to head to the bowling alley, and M&M tags along. As they walk, Bryon wishes inwardly that he had a car. As though reading Bryon’s mind, Mark says that he could hot-wire a car. M&M says that this would be a bad thing to do, as stealing is wrong. Mark replies that it’s not stealing—it’s just “borrowing.” Mark is on probation for hot-wiring cars, however, and so Bryon warns him against it.
Mark can seemingly read Bryon’s mind, which reinforces Bryon and Mark’s strong bond. This also serves as further evidence for Bryon and Mark’s are selfishness: even though they look out for each other, they treat each other essentially as extensions of themselves and care little for anyone else. Lastly, Mark is further characterized as a rule-breaker who downplays the severity of his crimes—even while M&M asserts that stealing is immoral. Mark fails to appreciate the consequences of his actions, as Bryon has to remind him that he could get in trouble for hot-wiring a car.
Themes
Mark started hot-wiring cars and driving them when he was 12 years old; after a few years of doing this, he was finally caught. Bryon was worried that Mark was going to be sent to a boys’ home because he didn’t have a real family. That didn’t happen, however— Bryon thinks that Mark always comes through everything “untouched, unworried, unaffected.”
Bryon recognizes that Mark ignores the rules precisely because he is often “untouched, unworried, and unaffected” by the illegal acts he commits—qualities that also reinforce Mark’s immaturity. Additionally, Hinton establishes cars as a symbol of recklessness and irresponsibility for Mark, as they are tied to his careless nature.
Themes
As the boys walk, M&M asks if Bryon was named after Lord Byron, mixing up the two names. Bryon jokes with M&M, reciting a dirty limerick that he knows. Mark mistakenly believes that Bryon thought up the poem on the spot, and Bryon doesn’t admit to Mark that he didn’t come up with it. Bryon acknowledges inwardly that he often lies if he thinks he can get away with it. He does this especially with girls, telling them that he loves them when he really doesn’t. He goes out with a lot of girls and doesn’t treat them very well, though he admits that his poor treatment of them doesn’t bother him most of the time.
While Mark’s rule-breaking centers on stealing, Bryon’s rule breaking centers on lying. Bryon, too, fails to see the consequences of lying to girls that he dates, because he cares little about hurting their feelings. This also ties into the book’s implication that loving someone naturally leads to selflessness and empathy. Bryon could not truly have loved these girls because he is unable to think about anyone besides himself, and because he cares very little about how his lies might have hurt them.
Themes
Mark then asks if M&M can lend him and Bryon any money. M&M replies that he only has 50¢, which he earns from babysitting his many younger siblings. He says that he likes babysitting and that he wants a lot of kids when he grows up. When the three boys arrive at the bowling alley, Bryon and Mark watch a few games while M&M stares at the inside of his package of M&M’s candy. When Bryon asks what he’s doing, M&M says he just likes the colors; then, tells them he has to go home and leaves.
While That Was Then, This Is Now focuses on Bryon’s and Mark’s coming of age, M&M also goes through his own maturation. At the beginning of the book, however, he’s characterized as very innocent, trusting, and self-assured. He’s very serious about his wish to have lots of children as an adult despite only being 13. M&M also takes pleasure from simple things, like babysitting his younger siblings and staring at his candy package. Details like this highlight M&M’s innocence in contrast to Bryon and Mark’s deviancy, which may or may not cause a rift in the boys’ friendship as they pursue different paths.
Themes
Mark and Bryon soon realize that they’re bored, so they decide to walk back with M&M. When they spot him walking down the street, they see that there are three guys about to jump him. The guys approach M&M, and Bryon realizes that one of them is a kid they know named Curly Shepard. Curly pulls out a switchblade and cuts off M&M’s necklace. When M&M reaches down to pick it up, Curly knees M&M in the face.
Violence is ubiquitous in Bryon and Mark’s lives on the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the story is set. Even innocent kids like M&M are beaten up on the street for no reason—violence seems to be a source of entertainment in many of the kids’ lives.
Themes
Bryon and Mark both like fights; on a signal to each other, they attack the three guys. One of their opponents runs off in surprise, and the other two are disarmed in the attack. Bryon has Curly in a stranglehold, and Curly pleads with Bryon to let him go. Bryon smugly observes that Curly has a grudge against him because Bryon used to go out with Curly’s sister Angela; Curly also belongs to a gang led by his brother Tim. M&M tells Bryon and Mark to let the guys go, and they do so. The two guys run away, and M&M thanks Bryon and Mark for saving him. Mark also reveals that he was able to steal $3 from the other guys.
This episode illustrates another appealing aspect of violence, in addition to entertainment value: it can be used as a defense against those who are needlessly instigating fights. Yet even in defending M&M, Mark and Bryon are still hurting others—reinforcing how violence only breeds more violence, even when intended to put a stop to it. Additionally, Hinton reinforces Mark’s penchant for stealing and lack of regard for the rules in highlighting his pickpocketing skills.
Themes
As Bryon, Mark, and M&M walk home, Mark points out a black guy on the corner, saying that he and Bryon could jump him. M&M protests, arguing that the boys just rescued him from being beaten up because he was different, and now Mark wants to beat up someone else for the same reason. M&M starts to cry and takes off running. Mark and Bryon conclude that M&M is upset because he was shaken up by Curly’s attack.
Despite the fact that Bryon and Mark have just saved M&M from Curly’s attack, they are inspired to commit their own assault. This development reiterates that violence simply leads to move violence, as young men in particular are intoxicated by the prospect of dominating others. M&M’s argument suggests that the only way to stop persistent violence is to consciously choose to stop this cycle.
Themes
Mark and Bryon decide to return to Charlie’s to pay him the $3. Bryon briefly thinks about what M&M said about beating people up because they’re different, knowing that there is truth in what he said. Bryon thinks that incidents like Curly jumping M&M happen every day—he doesn’t mind the fights though. He walks faster to catch up with Mark, who’s his best friend and his brother.
This passage foreshadows Bryon’s eventual change of heart about perpetuating violence, as he acknowledges that M&M is right about the fact that they shouldn’t beat people up needlessly. However, Bryon still recognizes the appeal of fighting, as fighting together seemingly adds to the protective brotherly bond between him and Mark.
Themes
