LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in It’s Kind of a Funny Story, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Mental Health
Art and Self-Discovery
Peer Pressure vs. Self-Empowerment
Friendship and Romance
Summary
Analysis
Humble is back, and Craig introduces him to Noelle. Craig tells everyone his theory about it used to be people only got midlife- and quarter-life crises but now people like him and Noelle have fifth- and sixth-life crises because companies can make money selling them things like face cream, designer jeans, and SAT prep courses. He thinks eventually there will be seventh- and eight-life crises and that babies will have to take anti-depressants
Although most of Craig’s journey as a character is about learning to deal with his own internal problems, his rant in this chapter hints at how his problems aren’t entirely internal and how there are companies and institutions that benefit off the misery of people like Craig. Craig may have to take responsibility for managing his depression, but that doesn’t mean that he’s fully to blame for what causes it.