The Fault in Our Stars

On the plane home, Augustus wonders why Peter Van Houten acted like he was angry at them personally. That night, Hazel eats dinner with her dad; it is the first long conversation between the two of them in the novel. He tells her that he and Hazel’s mother knew about the recurrence of Augustus’s cancer before the trip, but they respected his wishes to tell Hazel himself. Hazel’s dad brings up An Imperial Affliction, remarking that he found the book disingenuous and “defeatist” in its outlook; as a biochemist, his perspective is that “the universe wants to be noticed. I think the universe is improbably biased towards consciousness, that it rewards intelligence in part because the universe enjoys its elegance being observed” (222). 

The next day, Hazel goes to Augustus’s house, where he is already receiving powerful and painful chemotherapy drugs through a dedicated IV line. Isaac comes over, and they talk about his ex-girlfriend, Monica, who hasn’t contacted Isaac once since he lost his eye. Outraged at her callousness, Augustus directs Hazel to get the car for a mission. They drive to the store to buy eggs and then head to Monica’s house, where Isaac—with help from his sighted friends—hurls the eggs at her car.