bill turned to eddie , and with real shock eddie saw how tired and drawn bill 's face was-there was something frightening about that face , but it was n't until much , much later , as an adult drifting toward sleep after the meeting at the library , that he understood what that frightening thing was : it was the face of a boy driven close to the brink of madness , a boy who was perhaps ultimately no more sane or in control of his own decisions than henry was .