The relationship between Calvin and Beth, although married, is often a bad one. They each see their family issues and problems from a different perspective, never collaborating to come to a more refined solution. And as a result, they contributed toward having a son with some intense psychological problems.

Beth is portrayed as a wife with very traditional ideas and roles. She is very concerned with how her friends and townspeople view her family. Beth wants others to think that her household is very stable and a perfect model of a suburban family. In chapter eight, she becomes angered when she overhears Calvin explain that Con has missed swim practice due to doctors visits he has scheduled every week. This makes her upset because she does not want the problems going on within the family to be made public. Calvin does not understand this. Beth also shows little...