In the latter part of the text, Finny refuses to let Gene enlist in war, in Gene's view, "[Finny] drew me increasingly away into a world inhabited by just himself and me, where this no war at all, Phineas and me alone." (Knowles, 127). Finny ignores the reality and creates distractions to occupy his mind in order to satisfy his needs. He gains his personal satisfaction by impressing his peers and teachers with his oral abilities. Finny has no importance for the opinions of others about him. At times, he is illogical to the people of Devon school but due to his excellent soft skills gets away from embarrassment. Finny perhaps has no fear but only wishes. Finny is very instinctive. .
According to the Freud's model of psyche, Ego is a part of human psyche which lies mostly under the conscious state of mind. It is often driven by the reality principle. In the novel, a separate peace, Gene lives a structured life. He tends to follow the school rules, however finds himself under the influence of Finny. "I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas." (Knowles, 77). For the sake of friendship, Gene never refused the offers or wishes of Finny. Despite his moral values, Gene strives to please the people of Devon school, particularly Finny. In human psyche, Ego floats throughout the psyche. Gene tries his best to satisfy the desires of Finny in a realistic way, as Ego strives to satisfy the needs of Id. "The Devon faculty had never before experienced a student who combined a calm ignorance of the rules with a winning urge to be good, who seemed to love the school truly and deeply, and never more than when he was breaking the regulations. The faculty threw up its hands over Phineas, and so loosened its grip on all of us", says Gene. (Knowles, 23). Now that there is no Id, everything is in order.
