Quote 31
I understood: No wasting good lungs on a hopeless case. (8.14)
Can your identity be controlled by those around you? Hazel's well-meaning doctors see her as a "hopeless case," so does that make her feel more like one?
Quote 32
[…] but then I heard a voice that was definitely a twisted version of his say, "BECAUSE IT IS MY LIFE, MOM. IT BELONGS TO ME." (10.19)
Augustus is not defined by his cancer, and he won't let it prevent him from doing the things he wants to do. He even passes over chemo drugs in order to go to Amsterdam and fulfill some wishes. Brave or stupid?
Quote 33
Augustus and I were together in the Improbable Creatures Club: us and duck-billed platypuses. (12.41)
Being an Improbable Creature requires having a pretty strong sense of self, don't you think?