Character Analysis
Alicia's folks are the complete opposite of Sam's parents in almost every way. They are married, educated, older, and very traditional. Sam realizes this when he meets them:
I'd never met anyone quite like Alicia's mum and dad before I started going out with Alicia, and at first I thought they were dead cool— I can even remember wishing that my mum and dad were like them. (4.13)
At first, it seems like they have the perfect life, but it doesn't take too long for Sam to realize that they think they're better than him. They talk down to him and, as he puts it, "think I'm stupid. They never say as much, and they try and treat me as if I'm not. But I can tell they do" (4.14). Bummer, right? Plus they criticize Sam's mom for getting knocked up at sixteen. Not cool, guys, not cool.
It's clear Andrea and Robert love Alicia and want what's best for her, but sometimes they just go about it the wrong way. Like, say, mocking Sam's mom. Plus, over time, we come to understand that beneath their perfect house and textbook marriage there's a lot of contempt and hate. They fight over whether Alicia and Sam should be together, in part because they stayed together out of obligation to their kids instead of genuine love. Yikes. It just got real.
The more time Sam spends with Andrea and Robert, the more he sees that every family—no matter how perfect from the outside—has their own problems. Sure, some people get pregnant as teenagers while others wait until they are thirty-five. Neither road guarantees happiness at the end of the day, though.