In the movie, when Ben's boss tells him that they are firing him,what I liked was that Ben did not resist .He just accepted being fired.In my teenage suicidal phases I always felt like Ben in that I thought that even if something does go wrong it does not matter because I am here for a very short time .
You are right,this message board is indeed like Las Vegas for most of us,certainly for me. In the office today one man shouted a lot at me and on a normal day I would have indulged in a shouting match but I was cool as a cucumber today as I imagined that I am living my last days and so why to get all worked up unnecessarily. What I have noticed is that there is no end to anger and hatred really.No end at all.
Yes the book is semi-autobiographical as the author O'brien was an alcoholic too, a writer too, but he died because of self-inflicted gun shots.He was 33 then.It was his "Jesus Year"
But in what little experience I possess, women are generally not like Sara because they want a man who has a position in the society,yes, even the prostitute are like that.I have met Bens in my life but never a Sara. But I don't know. Maybe there are women like her ,who knows.
I like Thoreau.I think he was even arrested for the police for some small negligence. Here its really bad. Prisons are just like hell.25-30 men in a cell meant for 2 or 3.