Flowers for Algernon. In the short story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, the main character Charlie Gordon has an IQ of 68 and desires to become intelligent. He is chosen to undergo an operation to increase his intelligence level to 204, however he is unaware of the consequences that may follow. His experiment is not worth the risk because he realizes that humans can be cruel, the experiment is not permanent, and he loses his friends and job. One of the reasons Charlie’s experience is not worth the risk is he realizes that humans can be cruel. This is seen throughout the story for example in