Critics have identified primary themes of teenage reality and nostalgia. According to David Edelstein of the "New York Magazine", Chbosky captures the "feeling you belong when among friends, yet you'd soon be alone" and notes that "the pain of loss ... almost as intense as the bliss ... it's nostalgia with an emphasis on nostos, pain [sic." Marty Beckerman of "Word Riot" said that "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" connects with young people because its scenes are "so universal and happen to so many teenagers." Chbosky wanted to convey respect for teenagers, to "validate and respect and celebrate what are going through every day", and said the novel is for "anyone who's felt like an outcast."