The Bad Weather Friend

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death.

The novel quickly establishes that in a world that is increasingly self-centered and hostile, any show of kindness, compassion, or “niceness” becomes more difficult and dangerous, and these displays also tend to disgust self-centered people—like the Better Kind—who cannot understand such benevolent sentiments. Notably, all the protagonists are categorized by their niceness, although Benny remains the most prominent example. The kindness of characters such as Benny, Clerkenwell, Jurgen, and Mengistu gives them a unique perspective of the world and allows them to positively impact the people around them. However, as Benny reflects in Chapter 2, kindness and substance are no longer rewarded in contemporary American society. Instead, he notes that “flash, filigree, and flimflam defeat substance almost every time” (12). Yet, just as the biblical Job retains his piety throughout his difficulties, Benny retains his niceness, as well as his trust that the world will eventually reward “merit and hustle” once again. In other words, he believes that the moral arc of the universe is inclined toward justice. This corresponds with his mantra, echoing Leibniz, that “all is well in this best of all possible worlds” (64).

Unfortunately, Benny’s naïve belief in the world’s undiluted goodness causes him to trust too easily, and he therefore becomes a perfect target for the unscrupulous people who view niceness as a threat. In this context, Benny’s niceness becomes a burden and even a curse, especially when he allows others to abuse him without complaint. His tutor, Dr. Liebhaber, remarks on this when she explains why she finds Benny’s niceness so unsettling. As she states, “I have seen what life does to those who are sort of nice but much less nice than you are. They suffer” (330). Thus, it becomes clear that Benny often invites this suffering and makes no effort to stop it. Even when he loses his job, his girlfriend, and his professional reputation in a single day, he merely shrugs and reassures himself that it must be for the best “in this best of all possible worlds” (64).

Only after he befriends Spike does he learn to balance his niceness with wisdom. As Spike advises him, “Niceness plus free will minus wisdom equals death” (256). Through Spike, Koontz argues that niceness alone is both ineffective and deadly, becoming a dangerous weakness unless it is properly tempered by wisdom and courage—both of which Benny initially lacks. Over the course of the novel, however, Benny comes to understand that niceness, or mercy, must be balanced with an active pursuit of justice. Thus, when Benny decides to turn Urnfield’s bullet back upon her, overriding his kind nature, this moment becomes his turning point, and he finally comes to understand the truth of the world. In other words, he has gained the wisdom necessary to survive his own “nice” and self-sacrificing inclinations, thereby transforming his burden into a blessing.