Discuss hopelessness. How does the theme of hopelessness keep recurring throughout the book? In what ways do the narrator and Candy counter hopelessness? Do you find the ending hopeful or hopeless for their futures?

Why do the passages about cooking cocaine and heroin specifically go into detailed description? The author rarely describes anything, but when the narrator cooks these drugs, there is painstaking description. Does the author describe intensely anywhere else in the novel?

Does the physical location of the places the narrator and Candy live influence them in any way? They constantly move throughout the novel. Do these moves reflect on them emotionally and mentally? How does the move from the city to the country affect both characters?

Discuss Candy's beauty. How does beauty play a role in this book, especially in regard to Candy? How does her beauty make her accessible and...