Gene comes back, comes back to the past that belongs to him. He notices the two things that characterized his life at Devon. The marble stairs, and that big bad tree. He remembers Phineas, and what’s not to remember. He had changed his life, for better or worse, no one knows. The go through school together, Finny challenging him to break who he was on the inside. He challenges him to jump off the tree, and even saves his life once. But of course it wasn’t all fairies and unicorns with Gene. In becoming Finny’s friend, he flunks a test or two, and slowly becomes someone he didn’t ever think he could become. Then, he does the unthinkable. He jounces the limb of the tree, causing Finny to fall and break his leg. But it wasn’t just a broken leg, it was, “No more sports, Finny”, or it was “You aren’t enlisting, Finny.” He was done for, and he knew it, which is why he enlists Gene to do everything he can’t. Then, while Finny is gone, Gene begins contemplating enlisting with Brinker and Leper, but Finny has other plans for him, and Gene uses Finny’s return as an excuse to not enlist. In between, there’s the Winter Olympics and the Winter Carnival that ends up being cancelled. But then Leper does the unthinkable and enlists. He had been discharged for being crazy, but before they handed the official order, he retreated back to his home where he talked to Gene. This event is special because it opens up Gene to the horrors of the war. Shortly after, Brinker drags in Finny and Gene into the assembly hall where they attempt to convict Gene of injuring the hero who never was. Leper makes the appearance and has Finny believe what he didn’t want to believe. In a fit of rage he walks out and breaks his leg again. But this time, it’s cleaner break. After he is in the infirmary, Gene goes to visit Finny and spills the beans, and they make up. He then dies, Finny dies. He doesn’t even cry, but he does come to realize what Finny meant to him. He learned from Finny who didn’t hate the enemy he never faced.