Charlie Pace (played by Dominic Monaghan) writes a variety of messages on his hands and fingers throughout LOST, with their meanings ranging from comedic to hugely plot relevant. The beloved Mancunian rock star-turned-drug addict is one of the survivors of LOST's Oceanic flight 815, which crashes on the mystical island. In the very first episode of LOST, Pace is shown writing on the bandages on each of his fingers; the first of many messages that bear significance to him and his fellow survivors' destinies.
The bandages on Charlie's hands initially read "FATE" when he writes on them in LOST's pilot episode. However, he amends this to "LATE" in episode 3, and Charlie eventually abandons the bandages altogether. The messages are relevant to the survivors and their mission to get off the island, but also to Charlie's personal journey to overcome his heroin addiction and become a responsible partner to LOST's Claire Littleton and her son Aaron.
Why Charlie Writes "Fate" On His Fingers In Lost
While Charlie never explains his reasoning for writing "FATE" on his fingers, it likely relates to the plane crash and his heroin addiction. Charlie survives the crash with few injuries and is shown to have a strong religious faith. As Charlie can no longer access his heroin, it could be that Charlie acknowledges that he has been extremely lucky to survive the crash, and it forces him to get over his addiction. The "FATE" message may then refer to his belief that the survivors are on the island for a reason, saved by divine intervention: a theme that becomes crucial to other characters like LOST's time traveler Desmond Hume and John Locke. As such, the word "FATE" also foreshadows the LOST series finale, "The End," which reveals that everything that took place on the island was the survivors' fate and the most important part of their lives.
Why Charlie Changes His Message To "Late"
Again, Charlie does not overtly explain this message's meaning to any of the other survivors. However, by this time in season 1, characters like Jack Shepherd and Sayid Jarrah are growing frustrated at having not been rescued, as it seems unlikely that no one would come. Of course, this is before anyone is aware of the island's magical force field stopping the outside world from seeing it. As Lost's Oceanic 815 survivors are growing impatient, Charlie changing his message to "LATE" simply signifies his annoyance at a lack of rescue and is reflective of his witty sense of humor.
"FATE" and "LATE" are not the only messages Charlie writes on his hands. The season 3 finale, "Through the Looking Glass" sees Charlie write "not Penny's boat" on his hand, one of the most iconic shots in LOST's history. This message had a more practical purpose, however, as Charlie was warning Desmond Hume not to trust the freighter crew. Charlie later appears to Hurley in a vision again writing a message on his hand, "they need you," to encourage Hurley on a more personal level. All these examples show how the writing on Charlie's hands and fingers had different meanings throughout LOST, with "FATE" foreshadowing the show's major theme and "LATE" simply being a funny joke.