Ever since the death of Jordan, all three patients have endured mental and physical pain. Whether it is that one chose not to live any longer, or the other doesn't know where they belong in the world, their lives have changed tremendously.
The first member of the Jarret family that came for psychological help was Conrad. Right now in his life he is facing the consequences of his attempted suicide. Con seems to be having a rigid time going back to how things were. One reason why he feels incongruous is because since his attempted suicide he did not get to finish his junior year. Prior to the accident, Con was best known for his excellence in swimming competitions. However, he appears to have lost the aspiration to swim and it doesn't help that he is now one of the slowest on the team. Con decided not to tell anyone about his decision to leave swimming. It may look as if though this is a great loss for Con since at one point of his life he lived to swim. Nevertheless, Con does not look at his decision as a failure. He even said "There is no problem improving your timing, or perfecting a stroke, if the desire is there, but you cannot fire up, cannot manufacture desire, when there is no spark at all to build on. This was not a mistake, what happened today. It is not to be looked at as a failure."(Guest 84) Con seems to have more of an internal conflict than one with others from his family. Con's biggest problem seems to try to get things back to how they were. The fact that people treat him differently makes him feel abandoned. For example, when he went to see his friend Karen she tells him she'd like to see him again; but that they both have to be careful about whom they see, not to see people who will get them down. Con seems to have made a slight breakthrough. He is learning how to cope with his attempted suicide and truly just want things to return to how they were. Con should try to interrelate with others of his age, and stay away from boys like Stillman.
