Family's Important to the Development of A Child

Family is positioned as being of the utmost importance to the development of a child. The three main characters in the novel are middle school students who are deeply concerned with their social lives amongst their peers, but at the root of their personalities is their connection to their families. Marshall has the simplest relationship with his family, and this manifests itself in his happy, easy adjustment at school prior to his conflict with Chad.

Chad has an extremely dysfunctional relationship with his family, and this manifests itself in his lack of self-confidence and his aggression. Chad has two sisters and a brother: “They’re perfect … Good grades, never get in trouble. I’m the only bad one” (131). Here, readers see that Chad imagines himself as the only bad child in his family. This is an idea that Chad...