Karen Aldrich is Conrad Jarrett's friend from the mental hospital. When they meet after they are released, Con feels ashamed that he's seeing a therapist while she is not. Karen tells him that she doesn't really know him, suggesting that their closeness has evaporated as Karen struggles to repress the difficulties that landed her in the hospital. Her subsequent successful suicide attempt pushes Con to the breaking point, as waves of grief and guilt wash over him. When he finally sees Dr. Berger, Con is able to use the intense grief he feels over Karen's and Buck's deaths in order to begin to heal.
Though he does not actually appear in Ordinary People, Arnold Bacon is all important figure in Cal Jarrett's past Bacon mentored Cal through college and law.....
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