Less Than Zero

Less than Zero is the story about a rich university student returning to his home town only to realize the price of being stuck in the city you start in. Surrounded by all sorts of narcotics ranging from coke to Heroin the book touches on some dark parts of society, but all having little to no effect on the protagonist. Clay is simultaneously one of the easiest characters to relate to and the hardest at the same time, having most people experienced the feelings you get visiting old friends who are stuck where you escaped but the casual acceptance of what his friends are doing and his apathy to do anything to stop them can frustrate and even disgust the reader. A good example of this is Clay's only moral eureka moment as it's in the final passages of the book when he lovingly decides not to rape a 12 year old girl,  this is obviously seem as not enough for the reader just to simply walk away in a passive manner.

The book itself seems to lend itself to a frustrated youth with nothing to live for, which could be a theme of 80's art and literature with Movies like the Breakfast Club. Though only difference is, it doesn't glorify it as others have instead giving a harsh and gritty reality of hopelessness, this becomes clear to Clay and he aptly decides to go back to college to escape the nightmare.