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Throughout the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving never clearly defines Owen Meany’s morality. Owen is described as both an angelic character and a mischievous child who tries to make trouble. Because Owen’s outlook on different issues changes as the novel progresses, Owen is a morally ambiguous character. Owen has two differing opinions about sex in the novel. As a child Owen heard the Brinkersmiths having sex in their dorm room. After hearing the Brinkersmiths, Owen claims that sex makes people crazy; he is portrayed as being sexually celibate, at least until marriage. This helps prove to the reader that Owen follows the strict Catholic beliefs about sex and condemns it in society. Later on in the novel, Owen has pre-marital relations with his best friend’s cousin, Hester. This goes to prove that Owen’s morally ambiguous character in the novel switches stances, from the innocent child to the sexually explicit roommate of Hester. Another example of