They Both Die at the End
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
September 5, 2017: Mateo Torrez, 12:22 a.m. Rufus Emeterio, 1:05 a.m. Mateo, 1:06 a.m. Rufus, 1:18 a.m. Mateo, 1:32 a.m. Rufus, 1:41 a.m. Mateo, 1:52 a.m. Rufus, 1:59 a.m. Mateo, 2:02 a.m. Rufus, 2:21 a.m. Mateo, 2:52 a.m. Rufus, 2:59 a.m. Mateo, 3:14 a.m. Andrea Donahue, 3:30 a.m. Rufus, 3:31 a.m. Malcolm Anthony, 3:34 a.m. Mateo, 3:42 a.m. Rufus, 4:09 a.m. Aimee Dubois, 4:17 a.m. Mateo, 4:26 a.m. Rufus, 4:46 a.m. Mateo, 4:58 a.m. Delilah Grey, 5:00 a.m. Mateo, 5:20 a.m. Rufus, 5:53 a.m. Mateo, 6:14 a.m. Rufus, 6:48 a.m.  Patrick “Peck” Gavin, 7:08 a.m.  Rufus, 7:12 a.m. Aimee Dubois, 7:18 a.m. Mateo, 7:22 a.m. Rufus, 7:53 a.m. Mateo, 8:32 a.m. Lidia Vargas, 9:14 a.m. Rufus, 9:41 a.m. Tagoe Hayes, 9:48 a.m. Kendrick O’Connell, 10:03 a.m. Mateo 10:12 a.m. Rufus, 10:39 a.m. Mateo, 10:42 a.m. Delilah Gray, 11:08 a.m. Mateo, 11:32 a.m. Mateo, 12:22 p.m. Rufus, 12:35 p.m. Delilah Grey, 12:52 p.m. Vin Pearce, 12:55 p.m. Mateo, 12:58 p.m. Rufus, 1:14 p.m. Mateo, 1:28 p.m. Rufus, 1:46 p.m. Deirdre Clayton, 1:50 p.m. Mateo, 1:52 p.m. Rufus, 2:12 p.m. Damien Rivas, 2:22 p.m. Mateo, 2:34 p.m. Zoe Landon, 2:57 p.m. Mateo, 3:18 p.m. Peck, 3:21 a.m. Mateo, 3:26 p.m. Rufus, 4:24 p.m. Officer Andrade, 4:32 p.m. Patrick “Peck” Gavin, 4:59 p.m. Rufus, 5:01 p.m.; Patrick “Peck” Gavin, 5:05 p.m. Mateo, 5:14 p.m. Howie Maldonado, 5:23 p.m. The Gang With No Name; 5:36 p.m. Delilah Gray, 5:37 p.m. Rufus, 5:39 p.m. Mateo, 5:48 p.m. Rufus, 5:59 p.m. Dalma Young, 6:20 p.m. Mateo, 6:24 p.m. The Plutos, 6:33 p.m. Rufus, 7:17 p.m. Mateo, 7:34 p.m. Rufus, 7:54 p.m. Mateo, 8:41 p.m. Rufus, 8:47 p.m. Lidia Vargas, 10:10 p.m. Delilah Grey, 10:12 p.m. Victor Gallaher, 10:13 p.m. Rufus, 10:14 p.m.
Themes
All Themes Mortality, Life, and Meaning Human Connection and Social Media Choices and Consequences Friendship and Chosen Family Business, Ethics, and Dehumanization
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Mateo Torrez Rufus Emeterio Lidia Delilah Gray Andrea Donahue Aimee Dubois Howie Maldonado Malcolm Anthony Dad Peck/Patrick Gavin Victor Tagoe Hayes Deirdre Vin Pearce Dalma Young Mateo’s Mom Kendrick O’Connell Elizabeth Officer Andrade Gabriella Penny Rufus’s Parents Wendy Mae Sandy Guerrero Graham Olivia Zoe Landon Jenn Lori
Terms
All Terms CountDowners Death-Cast Decker End Day Herald Last Friend Make-A-Moment World Travel Arena
Symbols
All Symbols Nametags Photos Mateo’s Birth
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They Both Die at the End

by

Adam Silvera
Download this LitChart! (PDF)
Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on They Both Die at the End makes teaching easy.

Mateo’s Mom Character Analysis

Mateo’s mom died giving birth to him. She enjoyed playing hard to get and so she turned down Dad’s marriage proposals twice. She only accepted when she discovered she was pregnant. Though Mateo had a hard time thinking of his mom as a “beloved mother” when he was a kid, Dad tried to make Mateo understand that Mateo’s mom chose to take care of Mateo instead of herself during her difficult birth, which resulted in her death. During Mateo’s End Day, he often thinks of his mom’s last day—his first day. He takes comfort in the fact that he’s going to be buried next to her after he dies.

Mateo’s Mom Quotes in They Both Die at the End

The They Both Die at the End quotes below are all either spoken by Mateo’s Mom or refer to Mateo’s Mom. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Mortality, Life, and Meaning Theme Icon
).
Mateo, 12:22 p.m. Quotes

Twelve hours ago I received the phone call telling me I’m going to die today. In my own Mateo way, I’ve said tons of goodbyes already [...] but the most important goodbye is the one I said to Past Mateo, who I left behind at home when my Last Friend accompanied me into a world that has it out for us. Rufus has done so much for me and I’m here to help him confront any demons following him [...]

Related Characters: Mateo Torrez (speaker), Rufus Emeterio, Lidia, Dad, Mateo’s Mom
Mortality, Life, and Meaning Theme Icon
Human Connection and Social Media Theme Icon
Friendship and Chosen Family Theme Icon
Page Number: 227
Explanation and Analysis:
Mateo, 5:14 p.m. Quotes

“I know there’s no time to waste, but I had to be sure you are who I thought you were. The best thing about dying is your friendship.” I never thought I would find someone I could say words like this to.

Related Characters: Mateo Torrez (speaker), Rufus Emeterio, Dad, Mateo’s Mom
Related Symbols: Mateo’s Birth
Human Connection and Social Media Theme Icon
Friendship and Chosen Family Theme Icon
Page Number: 308
Explanation and Analysis:
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Mateo’s Mom Quotes in They Both Die at the End

The They Both Die at the End quotes below are all either spoken by Mateo’s Mom or refer to Mateo’s Mom. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Mortality, Life, and Meaning Theme Icon
).
Mateo, 12:22 p.m. Quotes

Twelve hours ago I received the phone call telling me I’m going to die today. In my own Mateo way, I’ve said tons of goodbyes already [...] but the most important goodbye is the one I said to Past Mateo, who I left behind at home when my Last Friend accompanied me into a world that has it out for us. Rufus has done so much for me and I’m here to help him confront any demons following him [...]

Related Characters: Mateo Torrez (speaker), Rufus Emeterio, Lidia, Dad, Mateo’s Mom
Mortality, Life, and Meaning Theme Icon
Human Connection and Social Media Theme Icon
Friendship and Chosen Family Theme Icon
Page Number: 227
Explanation and Analysis:
Mateo, 5:14 p.m. Quotes

“I know there’s no time to waste, but I had to be sure you are who I thought you were. The best thing about dying is your friendship.” I never thought I would find someone I could say words like this to.

Related Characters: Mateo Torrez (speaker), Rufus Emeterio, Dad, Mateo’s Mom
Related Symbols: Mateo’s Birth
Human Connection and Social Media Theme Icon
Friendship and Chosen Family Theme Icon
Page Number: 308
Explanation and Analysis:
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