Summary

In the prologue, the ghost of Connor Murphy tells us that he has made his “exit,” and that just about all he can do now is think. Right before he killed himself, he wrote his name on a random kid’s cast.

In Chapter 1, Evan tells us that he starts every day with a letter to himself that begins “Dear Evan Hansen.” The letters are an assignment from his therapist, Dr. Sherman, and in them Evan is supposed to tell himself that today is going to be a good day, and then list the reasons why. Normally Evan manufactures something joyful to impress his mother and therapist, because he thinks they do not want to know about his true feelings of anxiety, but on the first day of senior year, he cannot think of anything happy to write as he sits in...