The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a film based on the novel written by Stephen Chbosky. It features a socially awkward boy named Charlie who tries his best to fit in in high school, after a traumatic childhood. Perks is a coming-of-age film that outlines many issues that teenagers face today. Some of these issues include peer pressure and the desire to conform, various elements of abuse, and sexuality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Peer pressure is a major theme that is constant throughout the novel, as well as many of the characters. Two characters who were specifically victims of peer pressure are Charlie and Brad. To be accepted by Sam and Patrick's group of friends, Charlie uses multiple drugs, as well as taking up the habit of smoking and drinking. Since his friends Sam and Patrick smoked and took drugs regularly, he did the same, wanting to conform to their group of friends. Patrick was also ignorant about various medications, which caused him some serious harm. An example of this is when he took LSD at a Christmas party, which landed him in hospital after passing out in the snow. Brad conforms to society by refusing to acknowledge his sexuality. Unlike Charlie, however, his situation is more life-threatening if he chooses to come out and alienate himself, as his friends and father are homophobic. not only him but also Patrick. When his father discovered Brad and Patrick in bed together, he got angry and beat him like crazy. Brad then, ashamed and humiliated, lashed out at Patrick. He was influenced by peer pressure to fight with Patrick along with his friends. In this movie we see multiple characters involved in peer pressure, some do the peer pressure while others are pressured. Most of these characters give in and conform instead of alienating themselves due to their morals. which is realistic for most teenagers. By depicting Charlie and Brad suffering the consequences by giving in to peer pressure, it can have an effect on the audience who is currently dealing with the same problem. One of the most popular quotes in the film is “We accept the love we think we deserve. ”. The reason it is so infamous may be because many people relate to that quote. Either they or someone they know has been in a relationship where they are capable of doing much better. In the film, Charlie's sister Candace is slapped by her boyfriend. Instead of reporting the incident, however, excuse the abuse, saying "he's not usually like that" or "I was inciting him" and so on. In fact, one in three teenagers reports knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped, suffocated or physically injured by their partner. (Study by Liz Claiborne Inc. conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005). This film addresses this issue by showing the audience that any type of person is capable of being an abusive partner. Chbosky depicted Candace behaving the way most teenagers would behave if they had been abused, which is to forgive their partner. Seeing how unsuccessful this all was for Candace, the teens in the audience will have second thoughts about the concept of domestic violence. One of Charlie's friends, Patrick, is openly gay. As well as being harassed by his classmates. she also has a secret relationship with Brad. Adolescence is a time when teenagers explore their identity. They may find that they like the same sex, or both the same sex and,.