I Am the Cheese is a young adult novel by the American writer Robert Cormier, published in 1977. Plot The novel opens with protagonist Adam Farmer biking from his home in the fictional town of Monument, Massachusetts, (based on Cormier's hometown of Leominster, Massachusetts) to visit his father in the fictional town of Rutterburg, Vermont. The story alternates with transcripts of tapes between a "subject" and Brint. The subject receives psychotherapy and is interrogated by Brint. As the book continues, it is revealed that Adam is the subject, formerly Paul Delmonte of a small New York town. His father, "David Farmer", was a newspaper reporter who was enrolled in the Witness Protection Program (WPP). The family moved to Monument and escaped several close calls with their identities, but the parents are killed in the penultimate chapter in a car collision. Adam/Paul survives and is taken to a government mental asylum. The last chapter implies that WPP agents killed the family and reveals that Paul is regularly interrogated on the topic. Each time, Paul is unable to handle his realization of his past and embarks on his delusional bike ride across the ground of the facility. At the end of the last tape, Brint recommends authorization to murder Adam. Characters Adam Farmer (Paul Delmonte) – teenage protagonist David Farmer (Anthony Delmonte) - Adam's father, a former newspaper man. He pretends to work for an insurance company. Louise Farmer/Delmonte - Adam's mother Amy Hertz - Adam's friend and love interest Brint - Adam's questioner and "guide" as his psychotherapist Mr. Grey - agent in the Witness Protection Program Arthur - a fat man in the town of Hookset who tells Adam of Junior Varney Dr. Dupont - a friendly doctor in a mental hospital; Adam is his patient Junior Varney - a troublemaker and thief in Hookset Whipper and friends - bullies in Carver Old man by the gas station - warns him about trusting strangers The elderly couple - the man helps him out of the ditch, while the woman criticizes him Aunt Martha - the only relative they're allowed to talk to Title This quote is the last verse from "The Farmer In The Dell", a song that Adam sings during the book: The cheese stands alone The cheese stands alone Heigh-ho, the merry-o The cheese stands alone He sings many of these songs throughout the novel. The song contains