Here's another thought on the reading of the coldhouse prank.
A reading that Weer is directly responsible for the prank would seem to be at odds with a "Purgatory" reading of the novel, because while Weer is clear about cause, effect, and aftermath with regard to Bobby Black, it would seem that he is at least on the road to washing himself of that sin committed as a child; yet the prank would be a sin committed as an adult, and Weer is not yet even confessing it, let alone apologizing or atoning for it.
Something else: Here's a touchstone which seems familiar, so maybe we've already discussed it, but PEACE might also be seen as a sort of opposite of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE; maybe we could call it, IT'S A WOEFUL AFTERLIFE <g>. Both heroes stay in their hometowns their whole lives, but in contrast to the movie, Weer is shown that his presence in the town doesn't really matter much--things turn into Potterville (or whatever the dystopian version of the town was called) because of his uncle, and he inherits it.
=mantis=
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