Tear Jerker / Why, Charlie Brown, Why?

• Linus's friend Janice having leukemia is a huge example of this.
• Linus is very depressed about this, and disgusted at his sister, who scolds him for touching Janice in the mistaken belief that cancer is contagious.
• The whole special is about Linus being the gloomy one for once and realizing that not everything has an answer. What makes this even sadder is that he doesn’t have his blanket at all. This is when you know this is serious business.
• Janice cries when a schoolyard bully mocks her baldness, unaware that it's the result of chemotherapy. Thankfully, Linus sets him straight.
• Linus's reaction when Charlie Brown asks Janice if she's going to die. However, she reassures Linus that she isn't and that the question is okay because she asked it too.
• They effectively use the song "Farther Along" to describe how Linus feels about his friend having cancer.
• A tearjerker of the happy tears variety happens at the end when Linus pushes Janice on the swing and her cap flies off, revealing that her hair has grown back. Linus's overjoyed cheer, Janice's laughter, and the swelling music caused many a lump in viewers' throats.