Two tragedies in Rome, just hours and kilometers apart, highlight an escalating level of anguish among young people. A 13-year-old child committed suicide, leaving a message about school exhaustion; a 23-year-old woman was discovered dead on the day she was meant to celebrate a graduation she never attained. Two distinct stories, but linked by a common thread: the weight of expectations and performance anxiety, which may be excruciating. The data shows that these aren't isolated events. Between the ages of 15 and 17, around one in every two students dislikes going to school, and more than 80% report being stressed by the workload. This anxiety increases with age, making the educational environment a source of stress rather than growth. The situation does not improve at university, where rivalry, as well as social and family expectations, contribute to a general sense of inadequacy. Approximately one out of every two students admits to lying about their academic achievement, often going so far as to conceal failed exams or delays, and even creating alternate worlds to avoid disappointing those around them. This anguish is part of a larger pattern of young unhappiness, in which school and university become the key arenas for comparing to frequently unachievable models of accomplishment. Failure or delay are regarded as blame in a performance-based culture, fueling isolation and fragility. The upshot is a severe generational melancholy, which appears only in the most extreme circumstances but is founded in pervasive and structural dynamics that are linked not only to schooling but to the entire social framework in which young people grow up.