The “separate peace” moment is shattered by the arrival of the telegram from Leper. Explore the significance of the timing of the telegram and the content. From was has Leper “escaped”?

The moment the telegram was received Gene was just beginning to feel inner peace and Finny was having a fun night in which both characters forgot about the war. Gene and Finny were both having a fun night at the winter carnival but as the letter was received about Leper their moods began to change. "And it was this which drained away as I watched Finny's face pass through all graduations between uproariousness and shock," (Knowles, 137). In this quote the letter destroys Gene's profound peace as he's seeing Finny's mood change quickly. This moment is very important because Gene begins to see clarity in his life but is then brought back to reality by Lepers telegram. When the telegram is received Finny and Gene's nights were both ruined.