1. Tim makes a decision few unwed fathers-to-be make: he decides not to marry his pregnant girlfriend and to raise his unborn child without a mother's assistance. Do you think he makes the right decision? Does he think the problem through adequately?

2. When Tim first gets to college, he deliberately keeps hidden from the college authorities the existence of Mason. He even lies to one of his teachers, claiming Mason is his sister's child.

Does Tim do the correct thing in these cases?

3. Through most of the book, Tim sees Abner as a stubborn, self-centered, uncommunicative person. To what extent is this characterization of Abner accurate? To what extent might it be the result of Tim's problems?

4. Why do you think Tim's emotions are so mixed when he hears about the relationship between Abner and Margaret Hansen? Tim thinks it has to do with his...