"Sometimes, as I said, she did things to impress the veterans at our expense." (Page 130)
I've been faithfully watching the course of events in this story to find the best possible example for motivation. With full coincidence in my decision, I present the scene in which Kathy explains about Ruth's behavior during their time at the Cottages. Ruth pretty much turned into a typical teenager trying to get into the popular crowd. She ditched her real friends, changed her personality a bit, and made jokes at her friends' expense. She cared so much about what the veterans thought about her that she reminded me of the quote from Dr. Seuss: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." Personally, I try to live by this quote. Ask any of my friends, I can go psycho at times. (But in a good way, not a clinically-unbalanced way.) Ruth's only motivation to change was to become popular when she should have been worrying about staying true to herself.
This particular scene just jumped out to me because I have witnessed this so much in my own life. People in my class who change significantly upon reaching high school simply to make friends. Change is a good thing, but not when it forces you to abandon your principles.
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