You have been introduced to Blythbury-by-the-Sea and Merton and have heard Chay's story during the pretrial court agrument.  Compare Blythbury-by-the-Sea to the town of Merton. How do these two places complicate the tragedy? Do you think that people would have felt as strongly about prosecution if Chay had been a typical kid from Longfellow Prep?  Should Chay have been charged with leaving the scene of an accident or not? Why?

Black Dog certainly has taken on his own character in the book. What does the arrival of Black Dog do for Henry and his family? How important are pets in your own life? What purpose do they serve people? How do people serve animals?

Make inferences from the text and use contextual evidence to discuss Henry’s relationship with his parents and siblings. How does the accident complicate them? Would you consider Henry and Louisa close? Do you think Henry was close to his brother, despite his cruelty sometimes? How do each of them react to the tragedy?