Don Grace
Don Grace serves as the school psychologist and guidance counselor at Placerville High School, a role that places him at the center of the escalating crisis when Charlie Decker takes a classroom hostage. Grace is a short, dapper man with a bald head and large muttonchop sideburns, favoring tweed coats with suede patches on the elbows and a pipe filled with strong-smelling tobacco. He is described by Charlie as a "mind-fucker, a head-stud," a professional whose job is to "fuck the mentally disturbed and make them pregnant with sanity." Charlie has been required to see Grace daily since his suspension for assaulting Mr. Carlson with a pipe wrench, and he views Grace with deep suspicion and contempt, seeing him as a manipulative figure who uses psychological tools to control and pathologize his patients.
Role in the Hostage Crisis
When the hostage situation begins, Grace is initially part of the administrative response, conferring with Principal Thomas Denver and the police. He attempts to engage Charlie through the intercom system, adopting a calm, rich, and certain tone. Charlie immediately turns the tables on him, refusing to answer questions and instead demanding that Grace answer his. Charlie warns Grace that any question will result in the death of a hostage, forcing Grace into a defensive position. Grace tries to maintain his professional authority, but Charlie relentlessly presses him, asking increasingly personal and invasive questions about his military service, his marriage, and his sexual practices. Grace's composure cracks as Charlie traps him in contradictions, such as when Grace claims not to know the meaning of "oral-genital practices" but later denies having engaged in them. Charlie's interrogation culminates in a psychological trap: he asks Grace what Christ said on the cross, and Grace replies, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Charlie then accuses him of asking a question, a violation of the rules Charlie has imposed, and fires the pistol into the floor, making Grace believe he has caused a death. Grace breaks down completely, sobbing like a baby, and is forced to leave the intercom, walking slowly across the lawn like an old man.
Psychological Breakdown and Aftermath
Grace's breakdown is a pivotal moment in the crisis, demonstrating Charlie's ability to invert the power dynamic between patient and therapist. Charlie's interrogation strips away Grace's professional mask, exposing his personal insecurities and vulnerabilities. Grace's subsequent behavior is marked by a loss of authority; he is seen conferring with police but is visibly shaken. After the crisis, Grace's professional reputation is damaged. He is described as a "liar" by the students who heard his exchange with Charlie, and his assessment of Charlie as a "schizophrenic personality" is contradicted by the students' own experiences. The novel's final chapter includes a memo from Dr. Andersen at Woodlands, a private institution, regarding Ted Jones, who has been reduced to a catatonic state. Dr. Andersen notes that he is "loath to try the shock treatments on this boy" and that he wishes he could be sure "what had gone on in that classroom after that Decker individual had the shades pulled down!" This memo underscores the lasting impact of the crisis and the unanswered questions that remain, including the role Grace played in the events.
Thematic Significance
Grace represents the institutional authority of psychiatry and the school system, which Charlie sees as a tool for social control and pathologizing non-conformity. Charlie's interrogation of Grace is a symbolic act of rebellion against this authority, exposing its fragility and hypocrisy. Grace's inability to maintain his professional composure under pressure reveals the limits of psychological expertise in the face of genuine crisis and human complexity. His breakdown also serves as a catalyst for the students' own rebellion, as they witness the dismantling of an authority figure and begin to question the norms and labels imposed upon them. Grace's character thus embodies the tension between institutional power and individual agency, and his humiliation is a key step in Charlie's attempt to "get it on" and force a reckoning with the hidden truths of the community.
