I’m losing weight,’ Scott said abruptly. ‘That’s what’s on my mind. It’s sort of funny, you know. I used to steer clear of the bathroom scale, because these last ten years or so, I haven’t been crazy about the news I got from it. Now I’m on it first thing every morning.
-- Scott (Chapter 1)

Importance: Scott does not hesitate to tell his friend, Bob, what is troubling him. Scott has come to Bob hoping to get some medical advice about what is happening to him without being forced to get medical testing. Scott is concerned not just because he is losing weight, but because he is not getting any smaller.

It was the clothes thing that had changed worry to fright. You didn’t need WebMD to tell you that the clothes thing was more than strange; it was fucking outré.
-- Narrator (Chapter 1)

Importance: Even more concerning for Scott than...