Mental Illness

The main theme or motif is how people deal with mental illness. This novel shows the hardships on and support from the family; the support from true friends, not fair weather friends; the necessity of mental health professionals; and, most importantly, the acceptance and handling of the illness by the patient himself.

In this story, Miles’ family is very supportive. Each handles these problems differently depending on his/her personality type. Audrey, Miles’ mom, loves him dearly and supports him, but she easily flies off the handle and yells at him when things are unstable. Sam, Miles’ father, is just the opposite. Even when he is upset by a situation with Miles, he tries to calmly talk it through. Although, often he ends up soothing Audrey more than Miles.

Janey stays out of the way during heated discussions, but she is nothing but loving and...