When Chris got a job at McDonalds, I don't think I was particulary surprised. Come to think of it, I don't think I had any reaction whatsoever. It was just yet another thing Chris did that I had no idea why he would do it. Granted, getting a job seemed a bit more normal than what he had been doing, but I don't think I sat there and thought about the why for any length of time. But if i had to think about it, maybe he was giving "something new" a try. He was always preaching to others about how they should not live their lives stuck in a rut; maybe be was taking a bit of his own advice. As to why he chose McDonalds, of all places...maybe it was because he got free food while working.

His colleagues descibed him as seeming rather distant, always off in his own little world. They would say something to him and he wouldn't really acknowledge them, he's just carry on with what he was doing. For instance, his work pace: his fellow workers said that no matter how busy they were, he always worked at the same pace; never speeding up or slowing down, just continuing on at a steady pace. Chris didn't really seem to care about his colleagues. He was also very defensive about himself, as if he felt they were prying. For example, the instance with the cleanliness issue. He did not exactly live in a modern house, so he really had no way of bathing himself. But his fellow workers did not, could not, know this. So Chris was very defensive about that. And when he felt that people were prying, offering to buy him soap and all, he probably panicked and quit because of that.

Well, for starters, Jan Burres was sort of a fellow tramp like Chris. She roamed around, selling knick-knacks and such, and could sort of understand why Chris was roaming. She also had a son about the same age as Alex was, and she was missing him, I suppose, as she hadn't seen him for a few years. She felt a somewhat motherly connection with Alex, and told Bob, who was her boyfriend at the time, that he needed to school him about some things. What ever those things may have been, he probably did it during the week Alex camped with them in Orick Beach. They got along well together, I think, because they were all tramps of a sort, and they understood each other, and they also made Ales feel comfortable. They didn't pry or pressure him to do anything, they were just there. They offered some temporary companionship, which Alex did need, regardless of what he thought.

AS for Ronald Franz, it could have been many things. But I believe it was mainly that paternal insinct. In some caes, the longer that instinct lies dormant and waiting, the stronger and more powerful it will come back when it resurfaces. And that's exactly what happened with Franz. Alex just made an impression on him. He found the kid very intelligent, and very friendly. Then there is also the fact that Alex did not just ignore him, he made an effort to spend time with him, and to get to know him. They both tried to help each other improve, and change. Franz had no luck changing Alex's beliefs or dreams, but Alex did make a big impression on Franz. Franz even later took his advice and moved out to live in the desert. Though unfortunatly, all he did there was sit and wait for Alex to return, which of course he never did, with him being dead and all.