How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Mitch, you are one of the good ones," he says, admiring the briefcase. Then he hugs me. I feel his thin arms around my back. I am taller than he is, and when he holds me, I feel awkward, older, as if I were the parent and he were the child.
He asks if I will stay in touch and without hesitation I say, "Of course." (1.11-12)
This is Mitch and Morrie's first friend moment. We see Morrie's super loving nature kind of overwhelming Mitch, which kind of sets up their dynamic in which Morrie showers Mitch with sincere love and affection and Mitch doesn't really know how to respond. He learns over time, though… thanks to Morrie.
Quote #2
Mitch, I said. Mitch is what my friends call me.
"Well, Mitch it is then," Morrie says, as if closing a deal. "And Mitch?"
Yes?
"I hope that one day you will think of me as your friend." (4.54-57)
Here goes Morrie with the let's-be-friends thing again. During his first class, Morrie asks Mitch what he likes to be called, which is a friendly thing for a professor to do. And Mitch feels like there's some kind of "deal" being closed. Friendship is a deal, a choice.
Quote #3
This time, when the cameramen and producers came through the door, they already felt like family. And Koppel himself was noticeably calmer. There was no feeling-out process, no interview before the interview. (11.1)
Morrie's infectious ability to make friends even gets to the news anchor who comes to interview him. By the second visit, everybody's casual and friendly with each other. Friends can be made with everyone, even people you're doing a quick business transaction with.