Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in They Both Die at the End, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Mortality, Life, and Meaning
Human Connection and Social Media
Choices and Consequences
Friendship and Chosen Family
Business, Ethics, and Dehumanization
Summary
Analysis
Peck gets his gang back together. His nickname comes from the fact that his punches are ineffective and harmless—but he’s an extra body, and he has access to a gun. Damien and Kendrick watch as Peck digs in his closet. Peck wonders if he has it in him and if he’s okay never seeing Aimee again. He thinks he has to respect himself for once by shooting the person who disrespected him. Peck retrieves the gun and opens up Rufus’s Instagram account. To his displeasure, there are lots of comments from Aimee on Rufus’s photos. He says they’ll wait for Rufus to post where he is.
It’s particularly insulting for Peck to discover Aimee’s comments on Rufus’s Instagram, as it drives home for him that he’s not the one at the forefront of Aimee’s mind. Though this is arguably a good thing given that Peck is a selfish and cruel person, Aimee also can’t predict that her lack of attention is going to make Peck even more willing to shoot Rufus. It’s not her responsibility to control Peck’s actions, but her choices nevertheless influence his.
Themes
