By this point in the book, the reader recognizes the effect of Finny’s fall on his relationship with Gene. Far from driving a wedge between them, the fall has instead resulted in a tightening of the strange bond between the two friends. “He need[s] me,” Gene says to himself, watching his friend hobble into the shower, a realization sufficient to drive away his thoughts of joining the army. Were he to enlist, Gene would join Brinker Hadley in embracing adulthood and responsibility; in many ways, by staying by Finny’s side, Gene inhibits his own development and process of self-discovery.