Summary

The third section – “Brilliant Move” – is told from the perspective of Leonard. Leonard was diagnosed with manic-depression in the spring semester of his freshman year. Leonard grew up in Portland, Oregon, where he lived with his parents - both of whom were alcoholics - and his sister. They lived in a house where a murder had occurred, which allowed his parents to buy it cheaply.

Leonard struggled with a milder form of depression during his high school years than the symptoms he later had to endure in college. He self-medicated with marijuana and slept a lot of the time. His parents divorced and his father moved to Europe. Leonard’s sister left to go to college, leaving Leonard alone with his mother. He decided the only way to change his circumstances was to study hard and get into college himself.

During his freshman...