After the final fight, something other than the pain weighs on Jerry’s mind. “The knowledge, the knowledge: what he had discovered.”
What has Jerry discovered about people and life over the course of his ordeal?
I think Jerry learns pessimism of the human condition. Almost every character, when facing the daunting chocolate sale, the hypocrisy of the teachers, and the mob rule of The Vigils, considers that the world, or at least Trinity High School and all the people in it, are evil or wrong in some way. Goober says it most pithily when he calls Trinity "more than rotten." This theme is likely to resound with Cormier's predominantly adolescent readers, many of whom may be in the throes of a struggle with the same lingering feelings of distaste towards society. Jerry, as we see, doesn't win in the end. Here the Christian ideas are very clear: Jesus redeemed souls not by overcoming Pontius Pilate and the Romans, but by being crucified by them. Even Jerry's best friend, Goober, abandoned him, not unlike Peter forsaking Jesus (Matthew 26:72-75). However, the point was not for Jerry to have friends, to overthrow The Vigils, or to be the most popular boy in school: his defiance and personal integrity are what matter. The book begins with "They murdered him," as Pontius Pilate murdered Jesus. It is a story about defiance and standing up for what is right, not about success and accomplishment.
