good people

There are many different ways in this story that you could think of people as being "good" or "bad", which is the theme of the short story. Lane Dean is sitting frozen thinking about the decisions that people make and what those decisions say about that person. In the beginning of the story Lane Dean thinks that to be a good person he must sit silently and wait for Sheri to say something that gave him a clue as to what he should say to make her feel better. Then his thoughts changed, he thought that it would make him a hypocrite to say what he thinks would comfort her but then to not really mean what he said to her. He worried that it would make him a liar and that he might be doomed to Hell. Then he thought about how lying would get him what he wanted. That again made him feel like he was a bad person because he was thinking of lying to her for his own good, to get what he wanted. Then he realized that lying is not the way to go. He needed to be honest, but in being honest he would hurt Sheri. Sheri even offers him an out, saying that he does not hold him to any responsibility with the child other than his respect of her decision to not go through with the abortion. He feels really horrible when he hears her say this because he knows that she is lying. He knows that she views him as a good person who will make the right decision. But, his "right decision" and her version of the "right decision" are two different things. He knows that he must be honest to be a good person and make the right decision, and in doing so he must tell Sheri that he does not love her. He is sure that he doesn't love her, but needs to find the courage within himself to say it out loud.