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I have so much to do! And there's so little time!

After he receives his first x-ray, Johnny makes this somewhat fearful exclamation to Frances. Beneath his outward bravery, Johnny seems aware that he will die at this early stage, and this acknowledgment makes his bravery both incredible and possible—he must accept his fate and do with his life what he can. But Johnny's fear does not center so much on himself and on his curtailed life, but, instead, on his work—what he has left "to do." He throws himself into his scientific studies with abandon, concocting experiments and even corresponding with Albert Einstein. In the doctors' condolence letters, all express regret for Johnny's unfulfilled potential. But even in his death Johnny "does" something—his miraculous fight against the tumor will be used in neurological studies.

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