While Roy is an adult, he is coming of age in the world of medicine. He starts out anxious and afraid of what he's facing and he doesn't know much about the world of medicine, despite his earlier training. He comes to learn a lot of unorthodox ways of dealing with patients and learns the rules of the House of God. He learns through dealing with patients and through the Fat Man, who gives him pearls of wisdom along the way. The story teaches us the coming of age theme through examples of how Roy begins to learn and be more competent with each and every patient he comes across. At times, he feels beaten but he perseveres throughout the reading of the book. Throughout, he becomes more cynical yet increases his competency.....
