The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B

“They would leave their doubt-ridden, shell-shocked and agonizing selves at the door and become instead all-powerful beings.”

Dr. Chuck says this to the group to explain their project of picking an alter ego that they can personify during their therapy sessions. Adam and the other group members are excited by the project because they are all teenagers experiencing some form of obsessive-compulsive disorder and are eager to be other people for a change. Adam is excited about this opportunity because he doesn’t currently like himself as much as he has in the past.

“If doing psycho homework would put him on the fast track to being fixed, then move over, Adam was boarding that bus.”

This passage highlights Adam’s immaturity and naive understanding of his OCD. Adam has a strong desire to cure his OCD and get out of the support group. He wants to be normal but does not actually care about doing the work necessary to get there. This quote shows that Adam is more concerned with getting “fixed” fast and easy rather than actually facing his problems.

“It was for sure some twisted thing because it had freaked out his mom even though she tried to keep it a secret again.”

Adam tells the reader what he knows of the letters his mom has been receiving. Because his mother won’t talk about them, they are surrounded in mystery, and they cause Adam anxiety. Throughout the novel secrets and lies comprise a motif that directly connects to Adam’s condition and compulsions and his journey toward maturity and recovery.