Character Clues

Character Analysis

Actions

The characters in Things Not Seen don't get along all the time; Bobby and his parents bicker, and Alicia is constantly getting mad at Bobby for saying the wrong thing. But despite their differences, they are all willing to act for the ones that they love.

It's clear that Bobby's parents love him when they lie to the authorities about where he is, and even plan to go to jail for his sake. And even Alicia, with all of her complaining, will do anything for Bobby, including break into a major corporation's headquarters in order to steal documents from the legal department.

At the end of the day, everyone's actions speak volumes in this book—even nosy Mrs. Trent's.

Family Life

Like every other family, Bobby and his parents have their ups and downs. Sometimes they get along like a dream, but most of the time they're going through the normal everyday irritations with each other. Despite this, you can tell just how much they love each other—and are willing to sacrifice—in their actions. Bobby's parents would rather go to jail than see him carted off by the government, and he summons all the courage he has to try to make sure that they don't have to do that for him.

In short, their love for each other is palpable, even when they're yelling at each other, so we know that when it comes to the Phillips family, when the going gets tough, they're each the kind of person who gets going.