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
The next morning, Bryon feels as though he has had a nightmare. He doesn’t fully understand why he decided to turn on Mark—he knows that Mark would have quit selling drugs if Bryon asked. He worries that jail will kill Mark. Bryon asks his mother if she hates him, but she assures Bryon that he is her only child— he comes first, and she could never hate him. She hopes that Mark will see that what he had done was wrong and that Bryon’s decision was for Mark’s own good. While she tells Bryon not to hate himself for what happened, Bryon is frustrated that his mom is trying to stay hopeful about the situation.
Bryon’s mother understands that Bryon acted according to his conscience. He hoped that by demonstrating to Mark that his actions have consequences, Mark would come to appreciate rules just as Bryon has. Additionally, Bryon’s mother’s affirmation that Bryon is her only child continues to chip away at the Bryon and Mark’s brotherly bond. While Bryon always viewed Mark as a real brother, Bryon’s mother emphasizes that despite their loyalty, they were not actually brothers.
Themes
Bryon is completely numb at work that day. When he returns home that night, Cathy comes to visit. She says that Bryon’s mother told her what happened with Mark, and that she’s very sorry. Bryon is curt and angry with her, saying that Cathy must be happy now that Mark is out of the way. He can tell that he is hurting her, but he can’t seem to stop himself. Cathy is horrified at this implication. Bryon ends their conversation abruptly and says that he’ll call her tomorrow. He knows he won’t call, however—he knows that he doesn’t love her anymore.
Bryon also betrays Cathy here, motivated by the fact that without their relationship, he likely would not have drifted as far from Mark and would not have turned him in to the police. As the love between them dissipates, Bryon begins to revert to selfishness, lying to Cathy about the fact that he will call her and reverting to thinking only about himself.
Themes
When Mark goes to trial, Bryon testifies against him. When Bryon describes their relationship as being “like brothers,” Mark laughs out loud. He has a smug attitude throughout the trial and admits to selling drugs. The judge sentences him to the state reformatory for five years, and Bryon thinks that the judge was particularly hard on Mark because of his attitude. Mark seems unaffected by the verdict, but Bryon is stunned.
Because Mark is unable to let go of the smug, superior attitude of his childhood and find some humility, he is unable to grow up. Rather than becoming a functioning adult in society, Mark is sentenced to jail and thus removed from society entirely. Additionally, the fact that Mark laughs at Bryon’s assertion that they were “like brothers” illustrates how irreparably broken their bond has become due to their mutual betrayals.
Themes
The next few months pass in a blur. Bryon runs into M&M at the drug store, and he notes that M&M has completely lost his trusting nature. M&M says that the doctors warned him that if he has kids, they could have birth defects. He also says that doesn’t remember things very well and that his grades have all tanked. Bryon thinks back sadly to when he and Mark teased M&M about wanting a big family. M&M also tells Bryon that Cathy really liked him, but now she’s dating Ponyboy Curtis. Bryon is unmoved by this news—he hopes that they’ll hit it off together. Bryon is amazed that was once so emotional about Cathy and now feels nothing.
Bryon’s conversation with M&M only reinforces the severe consequences that his bad drug trip had on him. Not only has his brain been altered for the rest of his life, but what he did at 13 years old could have consequences on his dream of having a family. This contradicts Mark’s previous assertion that nothing bad can happen to kids, illustrating the immaturity of believing that kids are invincible.
Themes
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Bryon spends the summer working and trying to visit Mark, but Mark causes trouble at the reformatory and can’t have visitors. Meanwhile, Bryon is promoted; he no longer has an attitude. He feels as though he is a mixture of things that he had learned from Charlie, Mark, Cathy, M&M, his mother, and even Mike. He thinks that he isn’t the same person he was the previous year; he is a lot more “mixed up.”
The boys’ diverging endings underscore how, because Bryon was successfully took responsibility and found humility over the past year, so he is able to successfully transition into adulthood. Mark, on the other hand, was not able to achieve those things, and thus he never truly grows up. Even in jail, he doesn’t appear to have learned his lesson, as he is still causing trouble there.
Themes
Once, Angela comes into the store, but Bryon realizes that all his hatred toward her has evaporated. She says that what Bryon did to Mark was really low, and he replies that she looks really good with short hair. On another night, Bryon’s mother comes into his room. She points out that he got even with Mark for Cathy, and then he got even with Cathy for Mark. Bryon’s mother tells him that he should stop getting even with himself.
Bryon’s mother uses the same language as Bryon when he is talking about violent cycles of revenge. Because Mark indirectly hurt Cathy by selling drugs to kids like M&M, Bryon felt that he had to express his loyalty to her and get revenge on Mark. But because Cathy led to his betrayal of Mark, Bryon then felt he had to get revenge on Cathy. Both examples emphasize that getting even (whether violently or not) can be an expression of loyalty and even love. But because Cathy and Mark disliked each other, Bryon winds up betraying and losing both of his closest relationships.
Themes
At the end of August, Bryon visits Mark at the reformatory. Bryon sees that Mark has lost weight; his “sinister innocence” is gone, and instead he has a more “sinister knowledge.” He gives off the impression of a dangerous caged lion. Mark explains that the things that happen in the reformatory would make Bryon sick. When Bryon asks about how Mark is doing, Mark says that he hates Bryon. Bryon recalls the time when he seethed at the idea that Cathy had been attracted to Mark; now, he wonders what it would be like to feel that way your whole life. Bryon tries to apologize, but Mark refuses to hear it.
Bryon’s return to the incident in which he thought Cathy might have been attracted to Mark illustrates how betrayals can fuel hatred. While that moment was only fleeting for Bryon (because he realized that Cathy didn’t actually like Mark), here he understands how deeply he hurt Mark and how his own betrayal has irreparably shattered their relationship. The return to the lion metaphor also indicates a shift in Bryon’s understanding of his friend. No longer does he view Mark as “innocent” as he once did; he now sees how “dangerous” and predatory Mark’s behavior can be.
Themes
Bryon says he hears that Mark has been causing trouble, and Mark replies that he can’t seem to get away with things anymore. Bryon then tells Mark that he can straighten up and get out early on parole, and that Bryon can then get him a job, but Mark scoffs at this idea. When Bryon desperately says that they were like brothers—that they were best friends—Mark says, “that was then, and this is now.” In that moment, Bryon thinks that Mark would kill him if he could.
Even after facing severe consequences for what he has done, Mark feels no remorse—he dispenses with changing his behavior and instead focuses on Bryon’s betrayal. His repetition of Bryon’s declaration, “that was then, and this is now,” indicates that he’s more focused on how Bryon has changed over time (and, as a result, betrayed him) than on his own behavior.
Themes
Bryon explains that he hasn’t visited Mark since then, and that he can’t seem to care about anyone anymore. He can’t even care about Mark, because the guy who was his best friend doesn’t exist anymore. Bryon wonders what he could have done differently in the past year. He wonders what would have happened if he hadn’t met Cathy, or if M&M had had a good trip, or if he hadn’t found out about the drugs when he did. Bryon concludes by saying that he wishes he were a kid again, when he was sure of himself and had all the answers.
Bryon’s musing hearkens back to Mark’s earlier assertion that only adults say “if” and try to analyze why things happen as they do. It underscores how Bryon has become an adult, capable of taking responsibility for his actions and of retaining humility, knowing that he might not have made all the right choices. In wishing that he were a kid again and had the answers, Bryon highlights the fact that he no longer has the self-confidence of childhood and instead has fully emerged into the more complex world of adulthood.
Themes
