Funny Story Chapter 32: Peter’s Plea and Daphne’s Quiet Revolution
Spoiler Warning: This discussion reveals key plot points from Funny Story by Emily Henry, including events in Chapter 32. Read the book first if you wish to avoid spoilers.
Summary
Daphne spends a sleepless Tuesday after her fight with Ashleigh, overwhelmed by guilt for repeating her father’s pattern of unreliability. Determined to make amends, she drives forty minutes south before work to buy Portuguese custard tarts—pastéis de nata—because Ashleigh once mentioned dreaming of moving to Portugal. At the library, Ashleigh accepts the gift with cool politeness, and they continue to avoid a real conversation.
Returning home to an unexpectedly cleaned apartment, Daphne finds a box of fudge with a note from Miles: Sorry I missed you. The absurd parallelism to her own gift makes her laugh then nearly cry. She ignores a call from her father and turns to Read-a-thon preparations, sorting through leftover wedding décor to repurpose.
A knock at the door turns out to be Peter. He enters, apologizes profusely, and explains that his engagement to Petra is over—it was a mutual mistake born of pre-wedding panic. He insists he never lied, only acted on temporary confusion. Daphne rejects his offer to restart their life together, realizing that the picture-perfect future he describes never fit her. As he leaves, Peter delivers a parting blow: Miles spent the entire day helping Petra move out, and Peter implies Miles and Petra will reunite. Daphne, shaken but resolute, closes the door and stands by her choice to walk away from the wrong “we.”
Key Events
- Daphne buys pastéis de nata as a peace offering for Ashleigh’s birthday.
- Ashleigh acknowledges the gift but keeps emotional distance.
- Daphne finds a cleaned apartment and a box of fudge from Miles—a mirror of her own apology.
- Peter arrives unannounced, apologizes, and asks Daphne to take him back.
- Daphne refuses, explaining she doesn’t want the life she had with him.
- Peter reveals Miles helped Petra move out all day, suggesting a possible reunion.
- Daphne shuts the door, choosing solitude over the wrong relationship.
Character Development
Daphne undergoes a pivotal shift. She stops performing for others—whether as Peter’s perfect partner, her father’s proud daughter, or a people-pleasing friend. Her refusal of Peter is not spiteful but clear-eyed: she recognizes that her old life required constant auditioning. More importantly, she discovers she is no longer hurt by him; she is simply done. This emotional independence is new and fragile, tested by Peter’s final comment.
Peter reveals his own fragility and lingering immaturity. He believes his apology and a few good memories should erase the betrayal. His parting remark is manipulative—aimed at shaking Daphne’s resolve—showing he still prioritizes winning over truly understanding her.
Miles remains offstage, but his absence—and the fudge—deepen the mystery. The reader knows he helped Petra move, but Daphne doesn’t know how to interpret that act. The chapter sets up a test of trust between Daphne and Miles.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
The Shape of Family. Daphne contrasts Peter’s picture-perfect, intimidating family with her own quirky, loving relationship with her mother. She realizes that belonging isn’t about fitting a Norman Rockwell image; it’s about being allowed to be messy, to cry, to complain. Her bond with her mom—corn dogs, Little Caesars, stovetop hot cocoa—feels more real than anything she had with the Collinses.
Apologies and Reciprocity. The mirrored gifts—Daphne’s pastéis de nata and Miles’s fudge—underscore how both characters use food to express remorse when words fail. The parallel also creates tension: Daphne’s gift to Ashleigh is a first step, while Miles’s gift arrives without explanation, leaving uncertainty.
The Wrong “We.” Daphne’s internal refrain—“I don’t want the wrong we”—becomes her manifesto. She chooses being alone over being part of a relationship that demands she diminish herself. Even after Peter’s cruel comment about Miles and Petra, she holds onto that insight: better solitude than a false togetherness.
Why This Chapter Matters
This is the emotional climax of Daphne’s arc regarding Peter. Every earlier chapter built toward this conversation. Daphne not only refuses Peter—she reframes her entire understanding of love and home. By rejecting the picture-perfect life she once craved, she makes space for a future she can actually build. The chapter also plants a major plot complication: Peter’s revelation about Miles and Petra. It tests whether Daphne’s newfound strength can survive romantic uncertainty and forces her to confront what she really wants from Miles.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Daphne buy pastéis de nata for Ashleigh, and what does this gesture reveal about her character development?
Daphne buys the tarts because Ashleigh mentioned a fantasy of moving to Portugal—a surprisingly specific detail Daphne remembered from an earlier conversation. The gesture shows Daphne is moving beyond her instinct to hide and instead taking concrete action to repair the friendship, even if it means a long drive. It also parallels Miles’s later gift of fudge, emphasizing that both characters express remorse through food when words fail.
2. How does Daphne’s description of family with her mother contrast with her experience of Peter’s family?
Daphne describes her mother with warmth and candid imperfection: microwave corn dogs, joking about “Italian” takeout, airport hugs. In contrast, she admits she never cried or complained in front of Peter’s family, and she felt she was always auditioning to be perfect enough. This contrast crystallizes why she refuses Peter’s offer: the life he represents required her to hide parts of herself, while her mother’s love accepted her as she was.
3. What is the significance of Peter’s final comment about Miles helping Petra move out? How does Daphne respond internally?
Peter’s comment is a deliberate attempt to destabilize Daphne’s resolve by implying Miles and Petra are still involved. Inside, Daphne feels a “sinkhole” of doubt, but she does not change her answer. She recognizes that Peter assumes she only turned him down because she has someone else—but she knows she is choosing herself, not another man. Her internal response shows growth: she feels hope and relief because she is no longer defined by who she is with.