The boy

The boy is the main character in the work. He is never named and his age is not given, but he lives with his siblings and parents. The boy is Black and he focuses on racial justice and his own place in the family and the world around them. He yearns to be protected and find peace and stability in a chaotic time. He tries to take deep breaths to remind himself to calm down.

The mother

The boy’s mother is depicted as worried about her husband’s illness as well as the protests and news going on in the world. She spends the day glued to the television that her son wishes she would turn off. The boy’s father is sick with the coronavirus, and he is not able to breathe well. He is quarantined in one of the bedrooms and he coughs often...