Though the characters rarely discuss death or loss, their lives are influenced by grief. The theme of grief and loss shapes the characters and can be traced through the empty spaces in their lives. For example, the boy’s father is not mentioned in the text. If he is not dead, he is absent from his son’s life. Similarly, Wordsworth’s wife is presented as being dead. He tells the boy a story about a poet whose wife died, implying that he is referring to himself and that his overgrown garden is a tribute to her. Later, he tells the boy that this story was a lie. However, the boy’s narration suggests that Wordsworth’s confession may be a lie, and his wife did die young after all. Either way, she is absent. The boy’s father and the poet’s wife are missing from their lives, and the palpable absence shapes the personalities of those who are left alive.

The characters deal with their grief and loss in different ways. The boy’s mother has a jaded, cynical worldview, which might be expected from a woman who is forced to raise a young boy alone. However, she takes time to feed the poor and the desperate.