There are three reasons why Lucas commits suicide, and each reason teaches an important lesson to Alice. The first reason is that Lucas felt he had no identity and did not fit in with his peers and other social groups. Secondly, Lucas was unable to commit to relationships. The final reason is that Lucas felt very guilty for trying to rape Alice. Although all these reasons negatively affected Lucas and were the reasons for his suicide, they also taught Alice valuable lessons that allowed her to make improvements in her life. If it weren't for the lessons on identity, cultural perspective, and self-esteem, Alice would not have been able to move forward with the changes in her life. In the Good Hair story, Lucas' lack of identity was one of the main reasons he committed suicide. In his suicide note, Lucas references being unable to fit into any of the cultures at his school. This made his life difficult and created problems with Lucas dealing with who he was and his place in society. This problem with his lack of identity created hatred and tension internally because of the people he surrounded himself with. “I felt like I could never find a place where I could be myself and be accepted,” Lucas said in the letter. This statement shows the loneliness Lucas felt in not being able to be part of a group. His identity and the label he tried to fit into didn't exist and because of this he couldn't feel complete. Furthermore, Lucas states in his letter, "...trying to fit in, pretending to be something I wasn't," was what convinced him to buy the sailboat that racked up his parents' credit card debt . The drive to feel accepted by her partners and her parents was something that would hurt her in society and in her personal relationships. Lucas' effort to share his final words with his sister shows a deep love and respect for the one who caused her so much pain. The identity he created upon his death shows weakness and falsehood about what success truly is. Alice's healing of her scars begins with the realization that denial of the events of her past has also prevented her from living for the future. With this final set of circumstances, Alice can now become the person she truly sees as herself; An independent black professional who doesn't fit the mold society has cut out for her. Lucas gave her the freedom to create her own identity and the freedom to use her life's mistakes as lessons for her own well-being and survival of identity issues, social views, and her relationships..