Chapters 41 and 43 Summary

In this pair of short chapters, Christopher introduces readers to his parents, or more accurately, to his father and the memory of his mother. On the way home from the police station, Christopher’s father is withdrawn and silent, but he says everything is okay when Christopher apologizes for the inconvenience. His father assures Christopher that he knows he didn’t intend to get into trouble, but he warns him to be more careful in the future. By the time they reach home, Father is frustrated because of a barrage of questions from Christopher about Wellington’s death, and he orders his son to leave it alone. Then Christopher asks Father if he is sad about Wellington, his father responds in the affirmative. Christopher decides to leave him alone, because when he is sad, Christopher likes to be left alone.

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