Character Analysis
Deborah kinda sorta maybe tried to kill her little sister Suzy.
Wait, what?
Okay, not exactly. Deborah hated the idea of Suzy being born so much that she fantasized about throwing her out of the window. Don't get all judgmental—she never did it. We know you've never fantasized about throwing your sibling out the window…
Anyway, Suzy's five years younger than Deborah. Her parents initially shield her from the real reason Deborah is sent away because they don't think she could handle the idea of having a big sister in a mental hospital.
Suzy comes into her own once Deborah is out of the house. She has friends over, and her newfound lightheartedness makes the whole family laugh and enjoy small pockets of feeling carefree. It's so different from the way they all had to walk on eggshells when Deborah was around. The whole family feels guilty when they realize they're happier without sullen and distant Deborah lurking around.
Seriously, this girl was an actual Debbie Downer.
Once Esther tells Suzy the real deal about her sister Deborah, Suzy starts to seem concerned about her sister's illness. She's still resentful, however, of how much time and energy Deborah sucks out of their parents. Suzy longs for a normal big sister who goes to proms and dates football players. Before you get mad at Suzy for being selfish, though, just remember that she feels guilty for feeling this way.
Can't have siblings without some rivalry, right?