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78. Neighborhood Watch #3; Five Syllables; His Last Letter is Haiku
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Everything, Everything, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Coming of Age
Trust and Lies
Family, Abuse, and Bravery
The Value of Experience
Summary
Analysis
Maddy thinks that according to Olly’s math, it’s impossible to predict the future—but she thinks it’s also impossible to predict the past. What happens in the present changes the future and the past. Dr. Francis sends Maddy an email with “for your eyes only” in the subject line. She explains that she cared for Maddy in Hawaii and says she’s writing because she doesn’t believe Maddy has SCID. Dr. Francis suggests that Maddy get another doctor to verify the attached test results, as physicians—like Mom—should never practice on their families. She believes that in Hawaii, Maddy experienced a myocarditis episode triggered by a virus. She suggests that given Maddy’s upbringing, Maddy’s immune system is likely very fragile.
Myocarditis is, broadly speaking, heart swelling that causes cardiac arrest—and it’s a relatively common affliction in young people, even those who are otherwise perfectly healthy. Dr. Francis’s assertion that it’s unethical for doctors to practice on their family members introduces Maddy to the possibility that her mom has done something unethical by not seeking other opinions or assistance with managing Maddy’s condition at the very least, as there’s no indication that Maddy has ever seen another doctor.
Themes
