Compare and contrast Kim and Patty from the novel, This Stranger, My Father?

Kim Marz (Kimmers) is Patty's best friend and the opposite of everything Patty represents. Kimmers is beautiful while Patty is somewhat plain. Kimmers is outspoken and cares not at all about who may be offended by her sharp remarks. Kimmers's family is more traditionally structured than is Patty's. She has a father who can rescue her when she gets into trouble with school authorities. She has a mother who sometimes even "mothers" Patty.

She has a brother who is a companion in some of her escapades. Constantly at war with the world, Kimmers is something of a crusader against things she sees as wrong. Often advising Patty, Kimmers cannot help her when the "chips are down." Kimmers's appearance at the beginning of the story is brief but her influence on Patty is significant.