I totally get that Keating was the scapegoat in the film. But I don't think the vast majority of viewers see Keating as a contributing factor to Neil's choice at all. I don't think it's fair to say Neil (and Neil alone) made his choice. He was an impressionable teenager who was greatly influenced by his seniors. That goes for his father just as well as it goes for Mr. Keating. And I think if it weren't for Mr. Keating's insistence on following one's dreams to the fullest, Neil wouldn't have ended it all.

At the end of the day, I'm not entirely focused on who is to blame and exactly how much they contributed to the tragedy. I'm more confused about the message. If we can say that Neil took Carpe Diem too far (in my opinion it was influenced by the dangerous urgency I mentioned earlier), what is the underlying philosophy that the boys thank Mr. Keating for in the end?