Invisibility

When Bobby turns invisible, it's a shocking revelation—but the feeling isn't exactly something that's new to him. As a teenager, he's lived a normal life, but he's also felt like he is not extraordinary in any way, and like no one takes him seriously. His parents treat him like he's a little kid, and even among his peers he's often ignored:

"I'm not assuming anything. I'm talking about experience. You can tell if someone thinks you're nothing. Like, just a few weeks ago, I'm walking toward this beautiful girl named Jessica in the hall, and I smile and look at her, and her face doesn't change, her eyes don't connect with me, nothing. It's like she looks right through me, like I'm not even there."

Alicia's eyebrows shoot up. "Hmm… she looked right through you, eh? Like you weren't even there? Interesting way to describe your old life, don't you think?" (18.131-132)

When Bobby is at school and at home, he already feels invisible. He doesn't exist to the popular kids, and a lot of the times, it feels like he doesn't exist to his parents. Even if they do notice him, they seem to disregard his feelings and opinions because they feel like they know better.

When he wakes up and can no longer see his body, the invisibility is just a physical manifestation of how Bobby already feels inside. Interestingly, though, he becomes more visible in some ways when no one can see him. His parents become fixated on him and his problem, and Alicia gives him her undivided attention when they're together. So his physical invisibility, then, is also a symbol for Bobby being seen for the first time in a long time.