Chapter 10

This picture represents Leper and Gene taking a walk after eating lunch.


Gene left the next day in order to get to Leper's Christmas location. This location is his home in Vermont. Gene has to take the train then he gets off and rides a bus to where Leper is. He is trying very hard to believe that Leper has not deserted the army, thinking that when Leper said "escape" he meant from spies. When Gene gets there he finds out that it is true that he has deserted. He exclaims to Gene that the army was going to give him a section 8 discharge insanity. Leper did not seem like himself at all when he bursts out, "Like that time you knocked Finny out of the tree(137)." This infuriated Gene and he sprung out of his chair at him. His mother then came down and Gene exclaimed that he should be going. Before he left Leper, still laughing, told him to stay for lunch and he did. He did mostly because he felt bad and that it would be rude to just leave. After lunch the two boys go out for a walk. Leper explains how things have changed since he enlisted. He tells Gene about how he hallucinates a lot and that is what makes him so crazy. He would often think of things like, "the idea of his face on a woman’s body(140)," this would make Leper act very funny. Gene finally left knowing that there is seriously something wrong with Leper.