How do Margo and Quentin find themselves?

Very few teenagers have a complete, mature understanding of their identity, and the characters of Paper Towns are no exception.

Margo repeatedly references the idea of metaphorical "strings" that hold a person together. These strings represent emotional stability and inner peace. In the beginning of the novel, Quentin recalls a memory in which he and Margo discover a deceased man's body in a park. Quentin is disgusted, while Margo's fascination is piqued. "Maybe all the strings inside him broke," Margo infers (p. 8).

This memory, and the idea of strings follow Quentin years later. The search for one's strings represent the identity crisis both Quentin and Margo undergo. Quentin's occurs as he comes to terms with the false representation he has created of his childhood crush. Margo learns to stop fleeing responsibility, and in turn loses Quentin as the realization comes too late.