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replaces them with adult truth, stating that “humans are complicated beasts” (Ness 84)
and “What you think is not important. It is only important what you do” (Ness 85). By the
Monster’s words, Conor is shown how truly little he understands reality.

Conor’s economic and mentorship statuses, like Byron’s, influence the intensity
and form of his traumatic transition into an experienced young adult. While Conor’s
financial and mentorship experience contrasts Byron’s struggles, Conor still shares the
inevitability of facing brutal trauma. Evidenced by a notable absence of concern about
paying for his mother’s cancer treatment, Conor does not suffer from financial instability.
Unlike Byron, Conor is sheltered from the cold reality of adult finances. As a result, the
two protagonists mature in different ways. However, economic stability still influences
the type of real-world lesson Conor experiences by trauma. Therefore, Conor’s traumatic
family health problems reveal to the adolescent that even financial strength cannot protect
him from adulthood’s loss.

Conor also differs from Byron by being mentored by the Monster, whose very
purpose is to instruct young Conor about the realities of adulthood. Research emphasizes
the positive benefits of an adolescent’s mentor in growing up, exemplified in studies from
the American Journal of Community Psychology: “Youth with natural mentors in
adolescence reported greater optimism and self-efficacy and fewer depressive symptoms
in young adulthood” (Miranda-Chan). Accordingly, the Monster is filled with cold and
honest wisdom that will help Conor survive a future without his mother, a description
emphasized in the Monster’s final lesson: “Your mind will believe comforting lies while
also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish

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