The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is the story of Charlie who writes to an unknown reader to find comfort and a place in this world. It is an epistolary coming-of-age novel that examines the dynamics of teenage life in the 1990s. Charlie not only struggles to find his place in the hallways of his high school: he also struggles with the deaths by suicide of his best friend and his aunt Helen who had previously sexually molested him. The book is written in the style of a diary, which demonstrates the inner turmoil Charlie faces and his inability to connect with the outside world. Over the course of the book, Charlie meets friends like Patrick and Sam who help him feel accepted. His teacher, Bill, connects with him through literature; writing books that are assigned to him helps him to know himself and improves his writing ability. Charlie experiments with drugs and alcohol but never has addiction problems. Charlie's family is described in the book, but the only family member who is directly named is his aunt Helen. He shows a lot of affection for her even after her passing. Although it is presented ambiguously, the audience learns that Charlie's Aunt Helen physically abused him. He doesn't blame her for this, but for the unfortunate circumstances in his life. This realization comes at the end of the book, when Charlie confronts his repressed childhood memories. Patrick describes Charlie as a “wallflower” because he sees and understands things but remains shy and is afraid to actively participate in what is happening around him. Charlie's growth and path to understanding comes with its share of ups and downs, but at the end of the novel, Charlie explains to his audience that he will stop writing and... middle of paper... .erosexual. Overall, I feel like the author seems to be making great strides in being inclusive (as far as being an advocate for same-sex relationships) but falters in doing so. Even though Charlie shows no signs of homophobia and they all become great friends at one point, it is misleading that the two gay characters are stereotyped. This should not be considered a gay work simply because it contains two gay minor characters. Their relationship is overly stereotypical and completely ignores other non-heterosexual relationships. Brad and Patrick, however, contribute to Charlie's development and help expand his worldview. They show him that he's not the only one who feels out of place. Their role regarding being Charlie's friend is perfectly executed, however, their role in portraying non-heterosexual relationships could be greatly improved.