“I grab the bag and quickly toss back in my dog-eared copy of Time Travel for Dummies, a half-eaten peanut butter sandwich, a pack of Starburst, two bite-sized Peppermint Patties, assorted magic tricks that I’ve collected over the years, the bottle of water that I always have on me because one can never be too hydrated, the astronaut pen that allows me to write in all conditions (including underwater and while lying on my back), and finally my wallet, which always has at least eight dollars in it because my dad once told me that if a man has eight dollars on him, he can always get home.”

Lizzy has just spilled the contents of Jeremy’s backpack, and this list of things that Jeremy gathers up to put away offers insight into Jeremy’s character and what’s important to him. The time-travel book illustrates Jeremy’s wish to go back in time and save his dad. The book also shows that Jeremy is at the beginning of his character arc and still living in the past. Jeremy enjoys candy and thus carries it with him, and the water shows how he is always prepared for the worst. The money is an example of the bond between Jeremy and his dad, showing how much Jeremy still looks to his father for advice. The advice about the money is from years ago, but Jeremy still lives by it because he feels he keeps his father alive and with him by doing so, which gives him hope.

“I had never considered the meaning of life before. Why hadn’t I considered it? What is wrong with me? Has everyone else thought about this except for me? Maybe I was too busy trying to learn about time travel so I could keep Dad from taking the car out on that fateful day. My time travel research is important though, if not vital, to all of mankind. How was I supposed to put that aside to ponder the meaning of life?”

Here, Jeremy has just received the box in the mail and read the inscription on its top. Knowing this message came from his dad brings a new sense of urgency to the meaning of life, something Jeremy has never cared about before. Realizing that his dad cared about the meaning of life makes Jeremy care about it.