Effects Of Divorce On Children
Leigh seems to be paying a far higher price for his parent's divorce than either of them are and the effect of this is to make him a rather angry boy, although he has trouble understanding this anger. This novel shows many of the negative effects that divorce can have on children; Leigh feels like the divorce was his fault and thinks they would have stayed together if he hadn't come along and prevented his mom from riding all over the country with his dad. The novel also shows his loneliness and his need for not just his mom but his dad too, as there are several occasions when Leigh points out he could use the help of his father, for example when he is constructing his burglar alarm. Leigh seems to be emotionally very saddened as a result of the divorce and definitely feels that he does not get to have the time with both his parents together like he used to have. The book cleverly looks at divorce through a child's eyes and every day Leigh is affected by it in one way or another.
Poverty
Leigh observes many times how the lack of money affects his family; he doesn't see his mom much because she works all the time trying to make the rent. Leigh's family shops at thrift stores, his mother cannot afford to get the television fixed (although she claims she is choosing not to for the sake of Leigh's brain) and their house is barely big enough for them both; Leigh is conscious of this and afraid his home compares negatively to Barry's. the novel makes constant reference to the way in which poverty affects every aspect of Leigh and his mother's lives through the eyes of Leigh who even at his young age knows that money is scarce in their household.
