PLZ HELP Why does the author include sad stories like the story of Marial in the book? (Long Walk to water)

Select the correct answers. what does this passage reveal about eric and garrett? the biggest race on the warm-up field, eric went through his usual routine of stretching so he’d be fully prepared for the race. in what seemed like just a couple of minutes, he heard the announcer. “all 400-meter runners, make your way to your starting lanes.” as eric got into position, another runner named garrett taunted him. “you do know there’s no way you’re going to beat the speed of speed, don’t you? ” he said with a chuckle. eric pretended he didn’t hear garrett and cleared his mind of everything. the announcer yelled, “runners, take your mark, get set! ” as the starting gun sounded, eric took off with the rest of the runners. garrett immediately sprinted ahead of the pack, but eric hung back and kept a close eye on garrett. as they turned the last corner and headed down the straightaway, eric stayed focused and picked up his pace. soon he was running right beside garrett. just a few yards from the finish line, eric made a strong push. he crossed the finish line just a few feet ahead of garrett. a. garrett and eric are both overconfident about their speed. b. garrett likes to boast about himself, while eric is more modest. c. eric is focused, whereas garrett is distracted. d. eric believes in warming up, while garrett prefers to sprint.