How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Altruism. The night Charlie hit me, every ounce of altruism I had for him as a lost soul on a bad path dissolved. (4.6.5)
When Charlie hits Vera, that's it: She doesn't want to help him out anymore, or to talk him into seeing sense—she just wants him gone from her life. He's not worth the effort anymore.
Quote #8
Until last year, when the shitstorm began, I sat with Charlie in the back booth on the east side of the cafeteria. Sometimes we let other outcasts squeeze in with us, but for the most part we ate alone, just the two of us. (4.8.20)
It used to be that Charlie and Vera were a team, that it was just the two of them and they didn't need anyone else to feel validated or whole because they met each other's needs. But when Charlie starts hanging out with other friends, everything falls apart.
Quote #9
"But I thought you were my friend," he said, his voice quivering.
I thought about May Day, when he hit me. "I was your friend, Charlie. But I'm not anymore." (5.2.25-26)
When Charlie comes to Vera at the end of his life looking for help, she denies him. After all, he hasn't been the greatest friend to her, and she doesn't feel like she owes him anything anymore. In fact, he owes her a lot in return for his betrayal and the horrible way that he's treated her.