Paper Towns Theme of Friendship

Just how many people on your Facebook friends list (whether you have two or two thousand) would you actually consider your friends? Even though they're not on der Facebük, in Paper Towns, Quentin and Margo fall into one of these two extremes. Quentin has only two friends—Ben and Radar—while Margo seems to be friends with everyone.

However, it's Margo Roth Spiegelman who feels more alone. Maybe it's because people get tired of saying "Margo Roth Spiegelman" so much, or maybe it's because by trying to be friends with everyone, she isn't truly friends with anyone.

Questions About Friendship

  1. Does Margo have any friends? Explain, please.
  2. How would things have been different for both Quentin and Margo if they had stayed friends at age nine? Why?
  3. Ben and Quentin disagree during the course of the book. Why are they friends? What do they have in common? Do you think they will stay friends after graduation?