Walter Dean Myers, the author of the novel Monster, mentions the life of a character named Steve Harmon who lives in Harlem, while under process and teaches us life lessons about self-perception, peer pressure, and judgment. Steve Harmon faces obstacles thrown at him during the trial. At first, Steve goes through a period of questioning where he wonders if he really is a monster and is a criminal like a prosecutor says. Steve handles how people perceive him as a criminal by proving them wrong. Additionally, Steve has to deal with the consequences of proving to his friends that he's tough. He soon realizes that proving to his friends that you are worthy by breaking the law is not worth it and he needs to listen to his instincts instead of trying to be others. Ultimately, Steve is proving to the jury that their judgment of Steve's guilt is wrong and that they need to hear his side of the story before judging. These are all good life lessons about self-perception, peer pressure, and judgment through Steve's character, and how everyone should use them in their daily lives. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, the novel provides good life lessons on self-perception by showing how what people think about themselves is powerful. Steve Harmon cares about what the jury thinks of him, but he doesn't want it to define him and who he is. In her notes she writes: “Miss O'Brien looked at me - I didn't see her looking at me but I knew she was. He wanted to know who I was. Who was Steve Harmon? I wanted to open my shirt and tell her to look into my heart to see who the real Steve Harmon was." In this case, Steve Harmon wants to be seen as a normal teenager, not a typical black-skinned criminal as he is portrayed in society. This shows that there is more to him and his personality than the other prisoners. Steve questions himself and his actions which helps him understand himself better. When his father visits him in prison, he writes: “I have never seen my father cry before. He wasn't crying like I thought a man would. Everything was pouring out of him and I hated seeing his face. What did I do? What did I do?”. This shows that Steve Harmon's parents are really hurt to see their son in prison and that Steve is also hurt to see that he failed to meet his parents' expectations or that his parents assume that they raised their son badly . Through these moments, the way Steve thinks about himself changes and changes how he sees himself and interacts with others in his life. These moments share the lesson of self-perception with readers. Secondly, the novel provides good life lessons on peer pressure, addressing the concept that people should trust themselves instead of trying to please others. As a society, people need to start finding their own judgment when making personal decisions without letting others do the thinking for them. The consequences of a decision made by someone other than you will likely have negative consequences or regrets. In Steve's diary, he states: “King pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. What will he do, will he scare me? It suddenly seemed strange. Every time I looked at him and wanted to be tough like him and now I saw him sitting in handcuffs and trying to scare me." This shows that Steve Harmon is realizing that being tough and being someone else will lead to breaking the law and possibly going to prison. As citizens, the.