Requiem for a Dream: A Novel

Harry, Tyrone, Fred, and Marion smoke hash while Tony watches TV. Tony is obsessed with his shows, and he rants and raves at the TV when the plot does not go the way he wants. The others sniff amyl and laugh at Tony’s escapades. Harry and Marion grow more intimate. Tony’s frustration with the show reaches a breaking point, and he shoots the TV. They all laugh over it, feeling good.

Sara watches TV while painting her nails and eating a box of chocolates, planning to go to the library to borrow weight loss books the next day. She always eats a box of chocolates in one day, saving the chocolate-covered cherry for last. She wants to dye her hair red to match her nails and dress, fantasizing about introducing herself as Little Red Riding Hood.

Harry walks with Marion to her place. On the way, the pass a drunk couple. The woman complains she needs the bathroom, then urinates in the street. Marion’s middle-class parents pay for her apartment and give her $50 a week to see her psychologist, with whom she is now having an affair. She uses the money for drugs and partying. Harry and Marion sleep together that night.