“Difficult times often bring out the best in people” (Bernie Sanders). When facing difficult times, people change for the better. Crash Coogan is no exception, for when his grandfather has a stroke, he begins to change. In the novel Crash by Jerry Spinelli, Crash Coogan faces a difficult challenge that helps him transform into a selfless person. He learns how to be compassionate and not only care about himself. Crash begins to question what he has been acting like most of his life. Being in middle school is difficult, especially with Crash being the cruelest bully in seventh grade. After Mike and Crash talk to Penn, they walk away and start laughing at his outfit. Just because Penns clothes are from a thrift shop, they think that the clothes are lame. They made fun of Penn because more than likely he can't afford nice clothes from a nice store like Mike and Crash can. Once Penn took off his shoes, Crash “unscrewed the top, reached in with the eraser end of [his] pencil, scooped out the rest of the mustard, and painted the sneaker tongues and laces” (Spinelli 50). Crash decided that since he hadn’t done anything to Penn yet, he should ruin Penn’s shoes. Penn would have had to go all day wearing shoes full of mustard just do Crash could have a laugh. When Crash left the dance, he “set [his] legs and rammed into [Penn] with [his] shoulder” (Spinelli 88). Jealous of Penn hanging out with Jane, Crash decided to take revenge. Jane didn’t like Crash so that made him angry
