The friendship between Vera and Charlie is the defining relationship in Please Ignore Vera Dietz. They may have some romantic feelings for each other, but that hardly matters in the grand scheme of things. The real complex and rewarding relationship for them is their friendship, which has spanned many years and seems unbreakable.
But then Charlie falls in with a different crowd—and a different girl—and everything falls apart. By the time the book opens up, Vera's not even sure if she considers him a friend now that he's dead. She still thinks that he's a huge jerk and doesn't really want anything to do with him anymore, dead or alive.
Questions About Friendship
- How does Vera and Charlie's friendship change over time?
- Is it possible for a friendship to change after you've died? Why or why not?
- Do you think that Charlie gets anything from his friendship with the Detentionheads?
Chew on This
Because Charlie is Vera's only true friend—the only one that she shares her secrets with—she feels even more betrayed when he decides to ditch her for another crowd.
Charlie and Vera's friendship comes to an end long before he dies, but they are able to repair it after his death over the course of the book.