Isaac and Monica's romantic relationship

Isaac and Monica's romantic relationship is a teenage romance that begins before the novel's events and ends when Monica breaks up with Isaac shortly before his eye surgery, unable to handle his impending blindness. The breakup, marked by Monica's refusal to say 'always'—their private promise—shatters Isaac, who believes true love means keeping promises even when they become difficult. The relationship serves as a foil to Hazel and Augustus's romance, illustrating the fragility of promises made by the healthy to the dying and the pain of being abandoned by someone who cannot face the reality of illness.

Identity and Background

Isaac is a long-faced, skinny seventeen-year-old with straight blond hair swept over one eye. He has a fantastically improbable eye cancer: one eye was cut out when he was a child, and a recurrence has placed his remaining eye in mortal peril. Monica is a tall, curvy brunette girl who is Isaac's girlfriend at the start of the novel. They have been together for fourteen months, a period Isaac considers a long time. Their relationship is characterized by intense public displays of affection—at one point, Isaac pins Monica against the stone wall of the church and kisses her rather aggressively, his hand reaching for her breast over her shirt, his palm still while his fingers move around. They have a private promise: the word 'always,' which they text to each other constantly. Augustus conservatively estimates they have texted each other the word 'always' four million times in the last year.

The Breakup

The relationship ends when Isaac is about to lose his eyesight. Monica breaks up with him because she cannot handle it. Isaac is devastated. He tells Hazel that Monica didn't want to do it after—meaning she didn't want to dump a blind guy. He says, 'She said she couldn't handle it. I'm about to lose my eyesight and she can't handle it.' Isaac is furious and heartbroken. He says, 'It's unacceptable. It's totally unacceptable.' He tells Hazel that he kept saying 'always' to Monica today, 'always always always,' and she just kept talking over him and not saying it back. He says, 'It was like I was already gone, you know? "Always" was a promise! How can you just break the promise?'

Isaac's Response

Isaac's response to the breakup is intense and destructive. He kicks the crap out of his gaming chair, then grabs a basketball trophy from the shelf above the bed and smashes it against the floor. He stomps on the trophy, and then the trophies come down one after the other, and Isaac stomps on them and screams while Augustus and Hazel stand a few feet away, bearing witness to the madness. The poor, mangled bodies of plastic basketballers litter the carpeted ground. Isaac keeps attacking the trophies, jumping on them with both feet, screaming, breathless, sweaty, until he collapses on top of the jagged trophic remnants. When Augustus asks if he feels better, Isaac says no. The pain demands to be felt.

Aftermath

After the surgery that leaves Isaac blind, Monica does not visit him in the hospital. Isaac tells Hazel, 'She hasn't even visited. I mean, we were together fourteen months. Fourteen months is a long time.' He says he thinks a hell of a lot more about Monica than his eye. He says, 'I believe in true love, you know? I don't believe that everybody gets to keep their eyes or not get sick or whatever, but everybody should have true love, and it should last at least as long as your life does.' He says, 'I just wish the whole thing hadn't happened sometimes. The whole cancer thing.' Later, Isaac tells Hazel that Monica has not contacted him at all—no cards, no emails. He says, 'Total radio silence.' He has stopped thinking about it, saying he doesn't have time to have a girlfriend because he has a full-time job learning how to be blind.

The Egging

In a moment of revenge orchestrated by Augustus, Isaac and Augustus egg Monica's car. Augustus buys a dozen eggs, and Isaac throws them at Monica's bright green 1990s Pontiac Firebird. Isaac misses at first, but with Augustus's guidance, he hits the taillight, the back windshield, and the trunk. Augustus shouts, 'Yes! TAILLIGHT!' When Monica's mother comes out, Augustus tells her, 'Ma'am, your daughter's car has just been deservedly egged by a blind man. Please close the door and go back inside or we'll be forced to call the police.' Monica's mom closes the door and disappears. Isaac throws the last three eggs in quick succession. The act is a symbolic reclaiming of power, a way for Isaac to express his anger and hurt.

Thematic Significance

Isaac and Monica's relationship serves as a cautionary tale about the limits of love in the face of illness. Monica's inability to handle Isaac's blindness reveals the fragility of promises made by the healthy to the dying. Isaac's belief that 'love is keeping the promise anyway' contrasts with Monica's decision to break the promise. The relationship also highlights the pain of being abandoned by someone who cannot face the reality of illness, a fear that Hazel herself has about her relationship with Augustus. Isaac's experience with Monica mirrors Hazel's fear of being a 'grenade' that will hurt those she loves. The relationship ultimately shows that not everyone can handle the demands of loving someone who is dying, and that the promise of 'always' is not always kept.