abstract profiles of main characters Byron and Mark

That Was Then, This Is Now

by S. E. Hinton

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Student Question

In That Was Then, This is Now, what is Bryon's opinion of M&M's commune?

Quick answer:

Bryon views M&M's commune with disdain, finding the hippie lifestyle disgusting, dirty, silly, and a waste of time. Initially, he is in awe and slightly intimidated by the freedom and unconventionality of the commune. However, during his second visit with Cathy, his focus is more on finding M&M, which makes him somewhat more comfortable, though his negative opinion remains unchanged.

Expert Answers

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When Mark takes Bryon to the hippie house the first time he is just in absolute awe at how different the world of hippies is. The woman Mark talks to scares him a little bit and the fact that everyone is so free is almost disgusting to him. When he takes Cathy there to find M&M he seems a little more comfortable having been in that environment before, but that is only because he is on a mission to find him. He thinks it is disgusting, dirty, silly, and a wast of time to live like that, but he doesn't say anything to the contrary.

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