Chapter 52, I'm in Love Summary

Patrick falls in love with Brendan Cleeve, a local boy, at Mulvey's. Patrick is so happy that when he gets home, he climbs in bed with Charlie and sings: "Up on the moon/We'll all be there soon/Watching the earth down below/We'll visit the stars/And journey to Mars/Finding our breakfast on Pluto!"

Chapter 52, I'm in Love Analysis

We are misled to believe that Patrick may have actually found love. Patrick has never talked to Brendan Cleeve, and his attraction is strictly superficial. Patrick has learned nothing about the nature of love. The song that he sings to Charlie not only contains the title of this book, but sums up Patrick's concept of love. He sees love as a grandiose thing, as something that will take him to strange and exotic places. Thus, throughout...