what are florences views on religion?

Florence is an atheist because he cannot reconcile the injustices in the world with a loving and compassionate God. The primary reason for his atheism is his difficult background: his mother died when she was three, his father drank himself to death, and both of his sisters work as prostitutes in Rosie’s brothel. He still attends catechism but only so that he can be with his friends. Although Antonio tries to argue against Florence’s cynicism, he is unable to deny Florence’s logical reasoning; Florence forces Antonio to acknowledge that every religion has flaws. Florence dies near the end of the book in a swimming accident.