Symbols Mistakes Were Made Lucy Score

The Symbol of Dimes in Mistakes Were Made

Introduction

In Lucy Score’s Mistakes Were Made, dimes appear as far more than pocket change. They carry the weight of past love, quiet grief, and new beginnings. What begins as a private gesture between a husband and wife transforms into a secret act of kindness from a brother to his sister, and finally becomes a serendipitous sign that helps two wary people trust their future. This analysis traces the dime motif through the novel, explaining its literal appearances, how its meaning shifts, and what it reveals about the characters and core themes.

What Are the Dimes?

A dime is a ten‑cent coin, but in the story it becomes a personalized token of affirmation. Laura Bishop’s late husband, Miller, gave her a dime on the day they met. He flipped it to her with a wink and told her to keep it as a reminder of “the perfect ten” he had just encountered. From that moment, every dime Laura came across reminded her of Miller and his unwavering belief that she was exceptional. The coin thus represents a love that was unconditional and affirming.

Where Dimes Recur

The first recurrence in the narrative happens in Chapter 9, from Gage’s point of view. While visiting Laura’s house, Gage surreptitiously places a dime against the baseboard under the hook where Laura hangs her bag. Zoey notices his furtive movement and catches his eye, though she does not yet understand its significance. Later, in Chapter 36 (“35 Dimes”), Zoey and Hazel work out at the gym with Laura. Laura shares the origin story of the dimes: how Miller’s playful gesture turned every dime into an ongoing love note. Zoey then realizes that Gage has been secretly leaving dimes for Laura all along—hiding them at her house, slipping them into the hood of her sweatshirt, and filling bowls of dimes in his own home. In Chapter 49 (“Stop with the grand gesturing”), Zoey finds a full roll of dimes stuck inside her car door speaker grille, having caused a persistent rattle. When she arrives at Gage’s house, she sees the tin of dimes tucked on a shelf in his closet. The roll she presents, and the tin he keeps, become the catalyst for their reconciliation.

How the Meaning Changes

The dime’s meaning transforms three times over the course of the novel. For Miller and Laura, the coin is a private code for “you are perfect in my eyes,” a romantic ritual that outlasts death. For Gage, the same dime becomes a quiet, anonymous way to comfort his grieving sister. He never tells Laura about it; he simply leaves coins where she will find them, letting each one whisper “you are still loved, you are still a ten.” Finally, for Zoey, the roll of dimes in her car is a jolting, almost cosmic coincidence. After she learns the story, the unexpected discovery feels like a sign—not from Miller, but from the universe—that she and Gage are meant to try again. Zoey herself says it is “some ridiculous, over‑the‑top, flashing neon sign from the universe,” and Gage agrees it is “definitely a sign.” The dime thus evolves from a memorial token into a symbol of new, hopeful love.

Character Connections

  • Laura Bishop: The dimes are a direct link to her deceased husband, Miller. They keep his memory alive and remind her that she once experienced a love that saw her as perfect. In the gym scene, she admits that every dime reminds her of him, revealing the depth of her ongoing grief.
  • Gage Bishop: Gage inherits the ritual, but he gives it a selfless twist. He uses dimes to send his sister a silent “I see you, you are not alone.” The dime also becomes a part of how he expresses love—the tin of dimes in his closet is a concrete proof of his tenderness, which Zoey calls “the evidence that no matter what, deep down, Gage Bishop was a good man.”
  • Zoey Moody: Zoey’s relationship with the dimes begins with confusion (she sees Gage hiding something in Chapter 9) and moves to a powerful realization in Chapter 36, where she physically falls off the treadmill from the emotional impact. By Chapter 49, she accepts the roll of dimes as a personal sign that overrides her self‑protective doubts. The dime helps her trust that love worth fighting for is sometimes delivered in strange, small packages.

Theme Connections

  • Grief and Forgiveness: The dimes allow Laura to grieve Miller while also opening a channel for Manny’s attention. For Gage, leaving dimes is his way of helping Laura move through her grief without forcing her to talk about it. Forgiveness, too, is woven in—Zoey must forgive Gage’s earlier hurt before she can accept the dime as a sign.
  • Vulnerability and Commitment: Gage’s secret dime‑leaving is an act of vulnerability; he never tells anyone until Zoey pieces it together. Zoey’s willingness to call the dime a “sign” is a commitment to hope over cynicism.
  • Control vs. Spontaneity: Gage is a planner, yet his dime ritual is a spontaneous, unplanned gesture of care. Zoey, who lives spontaneously, learns to recognize a meaningful coincidence—the dime roll in her car—and let it guide her decisions.
  • Small‑Town Community: The dime ritual is not known to the whole town, but it is a thread that ties the Bishop family together, reflecting the quiet interdependence that defines Story Lake.
  • ADHD and Neurodivergence: While dimes are not directly linked to Zoey’s ADHD, her chaotic, sensory‑driven life (loose speaker grille, lost envelope in Chapter 40) makes the discovery of the dimes a tactile, accidental find. The coin’s emergence from a car door she had ignored for weeks mirrors her learning to find order in unexpected places. See also the ADHD and Neurodivergence theme.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. What does the dime originally symbolize for Miller and Laura?
    Answer: It symbolizes Miller’s declaration that Laura is a “perfect ten.” The dime is a token of instant recognition and lasting love, repeated every time Miller would toss her a dime. After his death, each dime Laura encounters reminds her of that perfect love.

  2. Why does Gage secretly leave dimes for Laura?
    Answer: Gage wants to comfort his sister without drawing attention to her grief. He adopts Miller’s tradition as a quiet way to tell Laura that she is still loved and not alone, leaving dimes in places she will find them, such as under the hook for her bag or in the hood of her sweatshirt.

  3. How does Zoey interpret the roll of dimes she finds in her car?
    Answer: Zoey first refuses to believe it is a sign, calling it “just a coincidence.” Yet as she drives to Gage’s house, the longing she feels makes her reconsider. She ultimately presents the roll to Gage and declares it to be a sign, using it to justify giving their relationship a second chance.

  4. How do dimes evolve into a symbol of new love between Zoey and Gage?
    Answer: The dimes begin as a private code for Laura and Miller, then become Gage’s act of brotherly love. When Zoey discovers the roll and sees the tin in Gage’s closet, the coin ties all three people together. It signals that Gage is capable of deep, enduring care, and it gives Zoey the courage to accept his apology, transforming the dime from a symbol of memory into a promise for their own future.