He considers himself the only stupid person who has ever done anything important for science. However, he cannot remember what important thing he did. But the knowledge gained by Charlie Gordon prevents him from remaining unchanged. Charlie Gordon, in Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, learned that if one opens his heart, he will have more friends. Originally, Charlie Gordon, 32 years old and mentally retarded, thought that friends and popularity came with being smart. Therefore, Charlie was very eager to learn from Alice Kinnian, his teacher at Beekman College Center for Retarded Adults. This enthusiasm led Alice to volunteer Charlie for a new experimental surgery in which intelligence would be enhanced. Before the surgery, scientists Nemur and Strauss performed numerous tests on Charlie. During the first test, Charlie is presented with blank cards that have had ink spilled on them. He is then asked to say what he sees in the spilled ink. Charlie carefully examines the ink spilled on the white card. Then, stunned, Charlie replies that he sees ink. Nemur e...