17 Stranger Things quotes die-hard fans should know by heart

14. “And they never break a promise.”

Episode: 2

Context: Eleven’s experience with the outside world has been pretty limited before season one. She doesn’t understand a lot of basic words, doesn’t recognize regular social conventions, and had never even eaten a waffle before her stay at Casa Wheeler.

Consequently, the boys have a lot of teaching to do. At the beginning of her stay with Mike, the boys spend some time trying to explain to her what a “friend” is.

A friend is “someone that you’d do anything for,” offers Mike. “You lend them your cool stuff, like comic books and trading cards,” adds Dustin. “And they never break a promise,” Mike closes.

Commentary: This is definitely one of the sweeter moments of the show. Have you ever had anyone try to define “friend” for you? It’s interesting to see what people prioritize when it comes to their relationships.

I love what the boys choose here. Their answers are honest and pretty endearing. In their world, “comic books and trading cards” are a pretty big deal, and promises (especially the ones involving spit) are an even bigger deal.

This exchange also illustrates the high stakes of the boys’ search for Will. This is their friend. He’s someone they’ve shared their lives with, made promises to. If they don’t find him, it’s as if they’re going against their entire belief system. After all, if someone’s really your friend, you’d “do anything” for them.

I think it’s also worth mentioning that Mike seems pretty earnest in telling Eleven how far he’d go for a friend. If it hadn’t been clear that he liked her already, this would definitely have given his feelings away.