Crooked Finger [spoiler]

Nothing was portrayed of Crooked Finger's life before the war. He was said to have never left his house after the war. As far as what was shown to us, he never really lived...he knew dead philosophers' writings, but he shut himself off from experiencing life. Yet Antonia's community loved him, especially Therese, his protege.

At first I was worried that he passed his depression on to her, but her lack of passion for anything except math and music seems to be explained by her genius alone - the cliched idea that geniuses are social misfits.

[Spoiler ahead]

Of all the characters who died, only two chose the circumstances. One hid from life and the other embraced every aspect of it. I'll be thinking about that for awhile.