In the book, Noodles is totally obsessed with Delores ( Deborah in the movie) from when he is a kid. In the book we are also given a more insightful description of Noodles sex life. He is addicted to constantly having sex and is always hiring hookers or picking up woman to bring back to his penthouse hotel room where he resides. You almost feel as though he is trying to find the Delores in these woman. In the book we also see his addiction to opium and how when going to these opium dens he dreams of having Delores (Deborah) for himself. He has these fairy tale opium dreams about he and her.

Delores will not even give him the time of day early in the book. In the movie we are given a slight glimpse of Debroah's (Delores) disdain for Noodles, but we also see that as children she teases him by undressing while fully knowing that he is peeking at her and she aknowledges him from time to time. However in the book if she speaks to him twice as children, it''s a lot. This eats at Noodles. As a young kid he knows that he lives as a lowlife, wearing the same clothing and looking ragged. As a child, Delores totally ignores him in the book.

When they are older Delores is acting and dancing on the stage. Noodles is always going to see her perform on the stage, but she never knows this. This is just another glimse into the obsession that Noodles had with her. Somehow Delores knows that Noodles is mad about her. Finally, without really going into detail, Delores agrees to go on a date with Noodles. As in the movie, he wines and dines her. She becomes more understanding of Noodles and on this date warms up to him. She begins to understand that as a kid, he had a shit life. She holds and squeezes his hand while they are talking, and this gives Noodles the impression that she loves him. So while they are still on this date, he proposes marriage to her. When she realizes that he thinks that she's in love with him, she drops a bombshell on him by telling him that she is in love with another man, is practically engaged to be married, and is moving out to hollywood. (Her real intent of going on this date with him was to tell him that she was leaving for hollywood). It is at that moment that all of the years of pent up fustration in wanting her explodes in Noodles and he violenty tries forcing himself on her, hurting her both physically and mentally. Of course, as in the movie, he is remorseful and regrets what he has done, but it's too late at that point.

In the movie we see that when he is a kid, he likes Deborah. And years later on the date we see that he rapes her. But in reading the book is gives a better understanding as to why he did what he did to her on that date because the book goes much deeper into the obsession that Noodles had with Delores (Deborah in the movie).

Chapter

01 - End Of School, Max Patsy Cockeye Dominick together
modern Jesse James, robbing Schwartz Candy Store,
helping Monk, Jake Pipy Goo-Goo, Knife, Peggy & Fanny,
Momma, poverty, Max's uncle, Fat Moe,Fed Reserve Bank,
Dolores, The Professor, Mott Street
02 - Book - Boswell's Life of Johnson
03 - Peggy & Whitey - police bribery
04 - Rolling a drunk
05 - Laundry delivery job - strike breaking
06 - Drugstore heist, death of Dominick
07 - Sent to Jewish home, Cedar Knolls for 18 months
Maxi's uncle dies, Max takes over uncle's funeral business
08 - Taking contracts, forming coalition with Frank,
6 speakeasies, Noodles Bookkeeper, Opium
09 - Dream of the formation of the criminal combination
10 - Turkish Baths
11 - Diamond Heist, Betty
12 - Writing a book, Sex
13 - Nutch and the diamond switch
14 - Oscar the fence, disposing of Nutch's body,
John Doe, Federal Reserve Bank
15 - Cleaning up Peggy's whorehouse
16 - The accidental death of Andrew Moore, Himmelfarb bros
17 - A licence to print money
18 - Noodles father previously a horse thief & smuggler,
money printing machine switched, Broome St speakeasy
to Jake & Co
19 - My disastrous date with Dolores
20 - Feeling Sorry for myself
21 - Helen the singer, picking up a prostitute,
Frank & Dandy Phil
22 - Nude swimming
23 - Getting kitted out
24 - Checking out the casino (1)
25 - Checking out the casino (2), momma, brother
26 - Casino shakedown (1)
27 - Casino shakedown (2)
28 - Casino shakedown (3), 20 bullets in 3 secs
29 - Phil & Fanny
30 - Eden, Fairy Theodore, Eve
31 - Big Mike, Fitz & Jimmy at the Eden
32 - Salvy the Snake, Willie the Ape, Mr Crowning
33 - Impersonating cops, Thespus Detective Agency
34 - The seduction of Eve, rubber falsies
35 - Thespus Detective Agency (1), knockout drops
36 - Thespus Detective Agency (2)
37 - Chicago hit, Eve, taking over the Eden
38 - Our arrest, murder of Salvy, Willie & a stranger
39 - Our release, planning the next job
40 - Disposal of the body of a Supreme Court Judge
41 - Dancing with Betty, John Doe, argument with
Max re payroll heist, split
42 - 2 weeks vacation in Miami with Eve, Max now
with Betty, Combination goods hijacked, Herring's
doublecross
43 - Max wanting to pickle Herring
44 - Max becoming a megalomaniac, throne, casing the
Federal Reserve Bank
45 - Trying to contact Frank, withdrawing bank savings
46 - Momma in a coma in hospital, gave details of Max
& Co's next job to prohibition agents, momma died,
booze, opium, death of Max, Patsy & Cockeye, searching
for our cash
47 - Mendy Muscles & Trigger Mike take me to warehouse
for execution, trick them to take me to Moe's, knockout
drops
48 - Escape to Joeys in chinatown, opium
49 - Leave town