Explain the significance of the last paragraph: "I did not cry then or ever about Finny. I did not cry even when I stood watching him being lowered into his family's strait-laced burial ground outside of Boston. I could not escape a feeling that this was my own funeral, and you do not cry in that case." (Julia)

Gene believes ever since he jounced the limb, that Finny's state of injury was his fault, including his death. In chapter four, Gene has a jealous rampage because he believes him and Finny are in a competition with one another. This belief causes Gene to push Finny off the limb of the tree. Ever since Finny broke his leg because the fall, he hasn't been the same. Most importantly, he couldn't take place in sports. During all of this time, Gene has the arising guilt that all of this was his fault. In chapter eleven, after the interrogation of Finny's incident, Finny storms out of the room, which leads up to him falling down the stairs. Finny yet again had fractured his leg. Gene has finally admitted and Finny finally accepted the fact that his first injury was caused by Gene. "I believe you. It's okay because I understand and I believe you. You've already shown me and I believe you" (Knowles 191). While having Finny understand has taken pressure off Gene, it hasn't gotten rid of his guilt of belief that this is all his fault. During surgery which was supposed to help his leg, Finny dies "...from the marrow of his bone flowing down his blood stream to his heart" (Knowles 194). Gene believes he doesn't have the right to cry. He was the one who initially injured Finny and all the events that occurred after that were because of Finny's injury. To Gene, Finny's funeral felt like his own. Gene has so much guild building up inside him that he believes he can't cry because his death (in his opinion) was all his fault.