A rebuttal is where you prove something your opponent said was wrong. A counterclaim is when you make a claim that is different from your opponents claim. Hope this helps :D
I think you can look at summaries on the internet I have not read the book
i believe that wilson feels like we have failed because we let people down and now they are living in fear but no one wants to remember what they had to go through it was a very dramatic experience for them to go through. but they can't forget about what happen to them