And More Clues...

Illness
1. Illness gives clues to the character of the person who is sick
2. Illness also give clues to what a character is experiencing, for example:
1. Malaria means gossip, either subject of or participating in
2. Plagues are God's judgments
3. TB and AIDS are wasting away diseases, and show the characters are wasting away or have been forgotten by society
4. STD's and mental illness often go together
5. Paralysis of the body often means the character is or was paralyzed mentally or spiritually before

Rent is the first story I can think of where the character Angel has AIDS and it is directly related to her/him being thrown away by society. Unfortunately, sickness and sin are often mixed together in literature and society. Some authors like Toni Morrison also talk about humans being sick because the world they live in is broken. So, when you see a sick character, look inside them and look at the world they live in. Something caused the illness and what ever it was points to the theme of the story.