Idiots Chapter 6: Me Too, Though – Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Chapter Summary
Laura Clery opens Chapter 6 by admitting she left the most shameful stories out of her first book. She shares them now after her sister Colleen pointed out the omission. The first story: when Laura was eighteen, their grandmother Alice died, and the sisters went out drinking to cope. At dinner with a character actor named Jared and his friend, Laura agreed to try GHB, unaware it is a date‑rape drug. Later, Jared suggested slipping GHB into Colleen’s drink, and Laura enthusiastically did so, thinking she was doing her sister a favor. Colleen felt tired but did not immediately react. After dropping Colleen off, Laura spent the night at Jared’s place. She woke up to Jared’s friend masturbating over her face; she froze and let him finish, then fled.
Laura then recounts an assault at age fifteen at a house party. A nineteen‑year‑old tried to rape her while she was passed out in a basement. She pretended to be into it and escaped by saying she had to pee. She never reported it. Next, she describes waking up to Lance, the brother of a famous actor, raping her while she pretended to sleep. Again she stayed silent. Another story: at seventeen, Laura accepted a lunch invitation from Joe Francis, the creator of Girls Gone Wild. After a meal where he talked to Andy Dick on the phone, he took her to his mansion and exposed himself. She ran out.
Later, she and Colleen flew to Miami with a rich Frenchman who supplied cocaine and expected sexual favors. They stole a bottle of champagne and escaped. At a hotel bar, they met a man named Jason, who claimed he had terminal cancer and a nine‑year‑old daughter. Laura cried for him; he then exposed himself. Colleen called her away, and Laura learned from Jason’s friends that his story was a lie. The chapter ends with a consensual hookup with a famous actor (codenamed Ryan). Laura stole his driver’s license as proof, kept it for six months as a party trophy, and later clumsily admitted the theft to him.
Key Events
- Laura drugs her sister Colleen with GHB at a dinner with Jared and his friend.
- Laura wakes up to Jared’s friend masturbating over her face and freezes.
- At age fifteen, Laura escapes a potential rape by pretending to need to pee.
- Laura is raped by Lance while pretending to be asleep; she never tells anyone.
- Joe Francis exposes himself to Laura after a lunch date.
- Laura and Colleen flee a lecherous Frenchman in Miami.
- Jason fakes terminal cancer to get Laura alone and naked; she discovers the lie.
- Laura steals the driver’s license of actor Ryan after a consensual hookup and later admits it.
Character Development
- Laura: The chapter reveals the depth of Laura’s past trauma and her complicity in harming others. Her willingness to drug her sister shows her drug‑addled naivety, while her many experiences of sexual assault build a portrait of a survivor who was too ashamed to speak. Her guilt over stealing the license shows growth, as she now recognizes the wrongness of her earlier actions.
- Colleen: She emerges as a steady, protective presence. Despite being drugged by Laura, she calmly tells her sister she does not hate her. Later, she rescues Laura from Jason by demanding she come downstairs.
- Jared’s friend, Lance, Joe Francis, Jason: These men represent different forms of predation – from opportunistic masturbation to outright rape and elaborate emotional manipulation. Their actions underscore the dangers Laura faced.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Survival instinct and freeze response: Laura repeatedly describes freezing during assaults as a survival strategy. This motif highlights the psychological trauma that can override fight or flight.
- Shame and silence: Laura explains that in the pre‑#MeToo era, women stayed quiet because they feared blame. She frames her own silence as a product of systemic sexism.
- Comedic catharsis: Laura uses crude humor and puns (e.g., “Ri‑dick‑ulous”) to retell harrowing events. This stylistic choice allows her to control the narrative and reclaim power.
- Trust and betrayal: The chapter is built on betrayals of trust – by strangers, by a celebrity, and by Laura herself toward her sister.
- The #MeToo Movement: Laura explicitly invokes #MeToo as the cultural shift that finally gave her permission to speak about assaults that were previously too dangerous to disclose.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is a pivot point in the memoir. It confronts the most painful experiences Laura omitted from her first book, including her own role in drugging her sister. The stories illustrate how addiction, youth, and systemic misogyny conspired to keep women vulnerable and voiceless. By sharing them, Laura models reclamation of narrative, refusing to let shame silence her any longer. The chapter also deepens the reader’s understanding of her character: she is not just an “idiot” making bad choices, but a survivor of repeated trauma who is still learning to forgive herself.
Study Questions and Answers
Question 1: Why does Laura choose to include the story of drugging her sister, and what does it reveal about her at that time?
Answer: Laura includes it because her sister Colleen gave her permission and reminded her it was missing. The story shows Laura’s drug‑fueled recklessness and her total ignorance about GHB. She genuinely believed she was helping Colleen feel as good as she did – a dangerous mindset shaped by her own addiction.
Question 2: How does Laura’s description of her freeze responses during assault reflect common trauma reactions?
Answer: Laura explicitly describes freezing rather than fighting or fleeing. She explains that she believed any resistance could lead to murder. This aligns with known trauma responses, especially in young women conditioned to appease aggressors. By detailing her paralysis, she validates a reaction that is often misunderstood or blamed by outsiders.
Question 3: In what way does the story about Jason expose a different kind of manipulation than the other accounts of sexual misconduct?
Answer: Jason’s manipulation is emotional and psychological rather than physical: he fakes a terminal illness to create false intimacy, then exposes himself without overt force. Laura’s emotional vulnerability makes her a target. This story broadens the chapter’s scope from physical assault to include calculated emotional exploitation.