How does Conroy address the theme of sibling relationships in the novel, Beach Music?

Through the interactions of Jack and his four brothers, the theme of sibling relationships emerges. Although all matured in the same stifling environment, that of the home of an alcoholic, they react to life in different ways, developing varied interests and personalities. Again and again, Conroy shows how the fabric of brotherhood helps protect each individual from the tears in the fabric of family. Jack McCall says of his brothers, "We . . . had grown to manhood in a household of secret terrors that had marked each of us in different ways . . . We used laughter as both a weapon and a vaccine."