Hunt vividly portrays the damaging effects that the Great Depression has on the characters’ mental health. These hard times often cause people to lash out in anger and behave in ways that would be out of character for them in normal times. The male characters in the novel seem most prone to angry outbursts, which is not surprising because during this time period, men were the primary breadwinners in families. Josh’s father, Stefan, is a perfect example. After he loses his job, he becomes bitter and lashes out at his oldest son, Josh. As Josh notes, “It was hard for Dad, I knew, but his unreasonable rages in which I was usually the whipping boy bewildered me at first and then angered me deeply” (6). In one early scene, Stefan angrily scolds Josh after his mother comments about his going outside without a sweater on a chilly Chicago morning:

Must your mother dress you like you are three years old again? Must she be worried with all her other worries because you show no responsibility—even for wearing the right clothes? It will be fine, won’t it, when you catch a cold and we have doctor’s bills on top of everything else? (7).