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Runt is a lonely boy who feels like no-one is on his side. Even his own parents do not pay much attention to him, and do not care that his brothers bully him. He feels as though he has no place to go and nowhere to belong. When he meets Dearly he finds a friend who will accept him as he is and not be mean to him. They play together and Runt has fun. Runt can't see that his life will get any better, but if he is a ghost he can stay here and have fun with Dearly forever. Dearly tells him that he can stay if he goes into the farmhouse and lets the things inside make him into a ghost. This suggests that whatever is inside the farmhouse will kill Runt. Runt seems to understand this, but chooses death over life anyway. He chooses to die because he does not think his life is worth living.

Source(s)

Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders