Psycho schoolboys

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Technically, only Leper, after going into the army, was psycho. But i think all the boys in this novel were. I mean,do real people act like that? I hope not,or the world would be a scarier place than it already is.
On the one hand, it may not be their fault. If I was a senior in 1943,and knew that as soon as i graduated i'd have to go fight,I may be psycho too. But HONESTLY,some of the things they did were just unexplainable. Or weren't explained very well, anyway. The biggest example is when Gene made Phineas fall out of the tree. You know he's feeling jealous,but then all of the sudden he does that,and it's not even apparant that it's deliberate,b/c he was always afraid of falling so it wasn't abnormal that his legs bent out of fear. And why did Brinker feel like he had to have his own little trial? Gene and Phinea's relationship could use some SERIOUS explaining,b/c it seemed to me like they were homosexual lovers. Everything they did had to be passed by the other,and they were practically attached at the hip. It was just WEIRD. And Leper. Did he go crazy BEFORE he went into the army,or after/because of it? And Brinker. Why did he suddenly give up everything he cared about,like all the presidencies and stuff? And does ANYONE at that school ever go to class or study? Because it seemed to me like all they did was skip,but maybe that is because there wasn't a description of the times when they actually went to class. Why did everyone,including the teachers,do whatever Phineas said? Why was Gene at the Devon school to start with? Did no one go to college,or were they planning on it when the war was over? And why the heck did Phineas die? I mean,is that whole bone marrow thing even POSSIBLE? What did Gene do after the war,and why is he back at Devon in the beginning? Did he end up admitting he was gay later (because I swear he is),in the 60s/70s? What happened to everyone else?
I know this book is supposed to be a "classic",but I didn't like it at all. There were too many questions left unanswered. Too much weirdness. It was like Catcher in the Rye, a "classic" book about a boy who should be in an insane asylum. Why do we make such depressing novels "classic" and force students to read them? No wonder our generation is on so many meds...

I give this book a 4,but only because Gene is such a spectacularly weird, messed-up character,and i have to give Knowles some kudos for that.