Following the death of her brother and close friend, Alexandra grapples with the idea of death. She wonders if death is similar to the darkness you experience before you’re born. Subsequently, as Alexandra lays in bed, she feels tired of life and perhaps even envious of her dead brother. These feelings cause Alexandra to conclude that Frank, not the murder victims, was “paying the heaviest penalty” (112). Moreover, seeing Frank only furthers her “disgust of life” (118). Thus, her somewhat positive view of death seems to help propel her sympathy for Frank in this section.