What central theme about guilt is illuminated by Gene's experiences?

• A. The importance of physical prowess over friendship.
• B. Loyalty supersedes jealousy.
• C. Identity and the fragility of adolescent bonds under the shadow of war.
• D. The irrelevance of memory.

Answer: (C)

Guilt here functions as a window into how a young person begins to define themselves in relation to others, and how those self-ideas are strained when a looming war makes friendships feel unstable. Gene’s inner conflict after the incident with Finny shows that his sense of self is tied to being equal or better, and that envy can drive him to act in ways he later regrets. The guilt exposes how fragile adolescent bonds can be when fear, competition, and a larger, frightening world push people to protect their own identities at the expense of trust. The war backdrop intensifies this fragility, making the stakes of every choice—insults, loyalty, even who one seems to be—feel magnified. So the central theme illuminated is how identity forms under peer pressure and how war magnifies the fragility of those early, delicate friendships.