1. On pages 105-106, Reuben becomes very upset and says “Those of you who did not bother to participate will please stop making light [making fun] of those who tried.” Have you ever been in a situation where you brave enough to try something and someone on the “sidelines” made fun of you? If so, describe what happened and how it made you feel. If not, then do you think it is ok to criticize someone who is doing something that you haven’t or are afraid to IF you are providing useful feedback? Give me an example.
2. When Arlene is helping Reuben unpack and sees his picture with his fiancée, she thinks that the fiancée “looks like somebody with a world of class. Like somebody Arlene never was and never could be.” Do you feel like such class distinctions exist in your own life? Do you see them in the world around you? Either way, give me an example and tell me how it makes you feel.
3. Matt is very adamant that Sidney not pay his kindness forward? Why, exactly? Can Pay It Forward still work if you are selective about who you Pay It Forward to? Either way, explain your answer.
4. When it comes to Reuben’s idea to propose to Arlene, there is a lot of miscommunication and lack of communication. Why is it so hard for Arlene and Reuben to communicate? Why don’t they just come right out and say what they are thinking, when they are thinking it? Explain.