--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Exactly one month after he was convicted…" description: "\"“Exactly one month after he was convicted, when the lights were dimmed and the detention officers made a final sweep of the catwalk, Peter reached down..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04a/jodi-picoult-45_school-bus_exactly-one-month-after-he-was-convicted_1647560.jpg" --- # Exactly one month after he was convicted, when the lights… ![“Exactly one month after he was convicted, when the lights were dimmed and the detention officers made a final sweep of the catwalk, Peter reached down and tugged off his right sock. He turned on his side in the lower bunk, so that he was facing the wall. He fed the sock into his mouth, stuffing it…” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04a/jodi-picoult-45_school-bus_exactly-one-month-after-he-was-convicted_1647560.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04a/jodi-picoult-45_school-bus_exactly-one-month-after-he-was-convicted_1647560.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04a/jodi-picoult-45_school-bus_exactly-one-month-after-he-was-convicted_1647560.jpg) > ““Exactly one month after he was convicted, when the lights were dimmed and the detention officers made a final sweep of the catwalk, Peter reached down and tugged off his right sock. He turned on his side in the lower bunk, so that he was facing the wall. He fed the sock into his mouth, stuffing it as far back as it would go. When it got hard to breathe, he fell into a dream. He was still eighteen, but it was the first day of kindergarten. He was carrying his backpack and his Superman lunch box. The orange school bus pulled up and, with a sigh, split open its gaping jaws. Peter climbed the steps and faced the back of the bus, but this time, he was the only student on it. He walked down the aisle to the very end, near the emergency exit. He put his lunch box down beside him and glanced out the rear window. It was so bright he thought the sun itself must be chasing them down the highway. 'Almost there,' a voice said, and Peter turned around to look at the driver. But just as there had been no passengers, there was no one at the wheel. Here was the amazing thing: in his dream, Peter wasn't scared. He knew, somehow, that he was headed exactly where he'd wanted to go.”” [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In a desperate moment, a dying man creates a comforting dream of childhood safety, showing hope can arise even in extreme suffering. **In simple terms:** A dying man imagines a safe childhood dream. Key Takeaway Find hope in imagined safety. Themes hope resilience escape memory dreams Mood reflective somber hopeful Type narrative inspirational When to use this quote - prison confinement - terminal illness - nightmare coping - mental escape - inner peace Key Concepts psychology mortality comfort imagined reality Questions to Reflect On - What inner resources can you summon in crisis? - How does imagination alter perception of suffering? A Different Perspective The dream may be fleeting and not resolve real pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dream Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream-peter-623341/) [First Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-day/) [First Day Of Kindergarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-day-of-kindergarten/) [Peter Climbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peter-climbed-623343/) [Peter Reached](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peter-reached-623342/) [Peter Turned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peter-turned-623340/) [Peter Wasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peter-wasn-623344/) [Rear window](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rear-window/) [School bus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-bus/) ## Related quotes > [“Peter wasn't used to girls, and now there were four staring at him. He wished he had jumped out the window.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lewis-baillot/peter-wasn-t-used-to-girls-and-now-there-were-four-staring-at-him-he/) [Jack Lewis Baillot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lewis-baillot/) > [“I have had a most rare vision. I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was: man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-have-had-a-most-rare-vision-i-have-had-a-dream-past-the-wit-of-man/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I remember showing up for the first day of kindergarten, Miss Springer's class, and the question was, 'What do you want to be when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sale/i-remember-showing-up-for-the-first-day-of-kindergarten-miss-springer/) [Chris Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sale/) > [When we are fully mindful of the transience of things - an impending return home from an overseas adventure, a graduation, our child boarding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/when-we-are-fully-mindful-of-the-transience-of-things-an-impending/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [“On my first day of kindergarten: "You thought it was hard? If kindergarten is busting your ass, I got some bad news for you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/on-my-first-day-of-kindergarten-you-thought-it-was-hard-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Instead I sounded like a little girl on her first day of kindergarten. My name is Bee, and I like coloring and horsies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/instead-i-sounded-like-a-little-girl-on-her-first-day-of-kindergarten/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) > [“On my first day of kindergarten, I bit a kid. Hard. In my defense, he deserved it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-kruger/on-my-first-day-of-kindergarten-i-bit-a-kid-hard-in-my-defense-he/) [Kat Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-kruger/) > [I experienced bullying as early as the first day of kindergarten and there were times where I wish could escape out of my body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizzie-velasquez/i-experienced-bullying-as-early-as-the-first-day-of-kindergarten-and/) [Lizzie Velasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizzie-velasquez/) > [Sending a book out into the world is a lot like sending your child to the first day of kindergarten. You hope the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-zuckoff/sending-a-book-out-into-the-world-is-a-lot-like-sending-your-child-to/) [Mitchell Zuckoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-zuckoff/) > [“Jeremy and Karl and Elizabeth have known each other since the first day of kindergarten. Amy and Talis are a year younger...Now the five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/jeremy-and-karl-and-elizabeth-have-known-each-other-since-the-first/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [“The first day of kindergarten when the little boy in a blue polo shirt had sat next to me and told me he’d be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/the-first-day-of-kindergarten-when-the-little-boy-in-a-blue-polo/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) ## More by Jodi Picoult > [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Let me guess," Eric says, "You never meant for it to happen." "Hell, yes, I did. I've wanted her since you two started dating."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/let-me-guess-eric-says-you-never-meant-for-it-to-happen-hell-yes-i/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Because hate's just the flip side of love. Like heads and tails on a dime. If you don't know what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/because-hate-s-just-the-flip-side-of-love-like-heads-and-tails-on-a/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I love feeling loved. I don't love knowing that I will always come in second place. I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Music is the language of memory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/music-is-the-language-of-memory/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [But there is a different between mending someone who's broken and finding someone who makes you complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-there-is-a-different-between-mending-someone-who-s-broken-and/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“sometimes words are not big enough to contain all the feelings you are trying to pour into them. My”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-words-are-not-big-enough-to-contain-all-the-feelings-you/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“The age wasn't as important as the milestones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-age-wasn-t-as-important-as-the-milestones/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The night is falling down around us. Meteors rain like fireworks, quick rips in the seam of the dark... Every second, another streak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-night-is-falling-down-around-us-meteors-rain-like-fireworks-quick/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor store boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-she-had-packed-all-the-artifacts-that-made-up-their-personal/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Here's what I hadn't realized : the mother you haven't seen for almost 36 years isn't your mother. She is a stranger. Sharing DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/here-s-what-i-hadn-t-realized-the-mother-you-haven-t-seen-for-almost/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [My brother believed in all sorts of mythical creatures: pixies, dragons, werewolves, honest men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/my-brother-believed-in-all-sorts-of-mythical-creatures-pixies-dragons/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) [Explore all 2,062 Jodi Picoult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More Rear window quotes > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [“At a rear window I hear the heart-rendering cries of my captive kind, plus a lot of yammering from the idiotic dogs, who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-nelson-douglas/at-a-rear-window-i-hear-the-heart-rendering-cries-of-my-captive-kind/) [Carole Nelson Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-nelson-douglas/) > [My mum raised me on 'On the Waterfront,' 'Gone with the Wind' and 'Rear Window.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-momoa/my-mum-raised-me-on-on-the-waterfront-gone-with-the-wind-and-rear/) [Jason Momoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-momoa/) > [“The unmarked black V8 Dodge Charger roared down the ramp and onto the Lake Washington Floating Bridge. Theirs was not the standard vehicle assignment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-erickson/the-unmarked-black-v8-dodge-charger-roared-down-the-ramp-and-onto-the/) [Karl Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-erickson/) > [Stella: I got a nose for trouble. I can smell it ten miles away. . . . I can smell trouble right here in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-ritter/stella-i-got-a-nose-for-trouble-i-can-smell-it-ten-miles-away-i-can/) [Thelma Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-ritter/) > [Americans are the only people in the world known to me whose status anxiety prompts them to advertise their college and university affiliations in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-fussell/americans-are-the-only-people-in-the-world-known-to-me-whose-status/) [Paul Fussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-fussell/) > [“Here’s a handy list of warning signs of the worst people on the road. Some are tuned-out menaces, others are just assholes. Be alert,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-carolla/here-s-a-handy-list-of-warning-signs-of-the-worst-people-on-the-road/) [Adam Carolla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-carolla/) > [“Why are you dressed as a man?" Neeva said. "Why do you act like..." She paused. "Why do you act like... like one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/why-are-you-dressed-as-a-man-neeva-said-why-do-you-act-like-she/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) > [“Nowadays, the work of Alfred Hitchcock is admired all over the world. Young people who are just discovering his art through the current rerelease…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-truffaut/nowadays-the-work-of-alfred-hitchcock-is-admired-all-over-the-world/) [François Truffaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-truffaut/) > [We've become a race of Peeping Toms. What people ought to do is get outside their own house and look in for a change.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-ritter/we-ve-become-a-race-of-peeping-toms-what-people-ought-to-do-is-get/) [Thelma Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-ritter/) > [I'm not much into rear window ethics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hitchcock/i-m-not-much-into-rear-window-ethics/) [Alfred Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hitchcock/) > [“I am the presence standing here at this juncture of Time & Space—who else? & that night in my sand-colored 1987 Ford van with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-am-the-presence-standing-here-at-this-juncture-of-time-space-who/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“But before either of them could move a sudden blast of energy shattered the car's rear window, sending glass fragments soaring through the morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcha-a-fox/but-before-either-of-them-could-move-a-sudden-blast-of-energy/) [Marcha A. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcha-a-fox/) > [“It was night. There was a drizzle, so Emily's black Japanese umbrella was up. The two were close beneath it, walking in long strides,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-amanda-salmonson/it-was-night-there-was-a-drizzle-so-emily-s-black-japanese-umbrella/) [Jessica Amanda Salmonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-amanda-salmonson/) > [I think 'North by Northwest' and 'Rope' and Rear Window' and 'Psycho' are on my list of favorite all time movies. I just think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlton-cuse/i-think-north-by-northwest-and-rope-and-rear-window-and-psycho-are-on/) [Carlton Cuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlton-cuse/) [Browse all 29 Rear window quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rear-window/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Exactly one month after he was convicted, when the lights were dimmed and the detention officers made a final sweep of the catwalk, Peter reached down and tugged off his right sock. He turned on his side in the lower bunk, so that he was facing the wall. He fed the sock into his mouth, stuffing it as far back as it would go. When it got hard to breathe, he fell into a dream. He was still eighteen, but it was the first day of kindergarten. He was carrying his backpack and his Superman lunch box. The orange school bus pulled up and, with a sigh, split open its gaping jaws. Peter climbed the steps and faced the back of the bus, but this time, he was the only student on it. He walked down the aisle to the very end, near the emergency exit. He put his lunch box down beside him and glanced out the rear window. It was so bright he thought the sun itself must be chasing them down the highway. 'Almost there,' a voice said, and Peter turned around to look at the driver. But just as there had been no passengers, there was no one at the wheel. Here was the amazing thing: in his dream, Peter wasn't scared. He knew, somehow, that he was headed exactly where he'd wanted to go.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jodi Picoult" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/exactly-one-month-after-he-was-convicted-when-the-lights-were-dimmed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Rear window" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/exactly-one-month-after-he-was-convicted-when-the-lights-were-dimmed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04a/jodi-picoult-45_school-bus_exactly-one-month-after-he-was-convicted_1647560.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04a/jodi-picoult-45_school-bus_exactly-one-month-after-he-was-convicted_1647560.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04a/jodi-picoult-45_school-bus_exactly-one-month-after-he-was-convicted_1647560.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Exactly one month after he was convicted, when the lights were dimmed and the detention officers made a…” — Jodi Picoult", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jodi Picoult", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Exactly one month after he was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/exactly-one-month-after-he-was-convicted-when-the-lights-were-dimmed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/exactly-one-month-after-he-was-convicted-when-the-lights-were-dimmed/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```