Jerry Spinelli traces the roots of insecurity from a pre-adolescent perspective in his novel Crash. Crash Coogan, the twelve-year-old protagonist, doesn't like change. He feels insecure about his own value, so he tries to gain everyone's approval. When a kid his age named Penn moves in next door, they have a problem. Crash doesn't think Penn is cool enough to want to impress him, so he swings the other way and bullies his neighbor. This goes on for seven years. Crash always chooses the thing which he think will make him popular, but Penn prefers the company of adults. Eventually Crash learns to see the value in other people and in himself by becoming just a little more open-minded. When his beloved grandfather -- Scooter -- has a stroke, he's encouraged by the gift of Penn's prized-possession -- a can of dirt from the Missouri River which his great-grandfather gave to him. Crash sees this selfless sacrifice and realizes that Penn is a good guy after all. He rewards Penn for his sweetness by allowing him to win an important race at school.
The main quandary in Crash's life begins at age six when Penn moves next door, although it is unrelated to Penn. At that age, children are naturally asking the question of value. Am I an acceptable, good thing? For Crash, that question is so scary that he avoids it for years. He doesn't successfully answer it but becomes adept at coping with the consequential insecurities. In school he becomes a popular kid, constantly concerned with other people's approval. It's not until he witnesses Penn's gift to Scooter that he realizes he's been making a mistake. Perhaps the question of value isn't so scary after all. Crash concludes that everybody is valuable and deserves acceptance, so he can do that for both himself and Penn.
For his part, Penn is better adapted than Crash. Maybe it's because he moves so young and has to learn how to adapt to a new environment in the midst of questioning his value. When he struggles to make friends in Pennsylvania, he determines to look for approval elsewhere from his peers. At school he's bullied, but at home he is the conversation starter. He knows how to talk to adults and finds their conversaitons intersting. Over the years Penn learns to treat everyone as a unique individual who's perspective deserves respect. This allows him to understand Scooter's particular need for encouragement after his stroke. He's just being observant. When he sees the need, Penn takes it upon himself to let somebody else, even a tired old man, that he is valuable.
