Examine the fantasies that Dan acts out. Is there something disturbing about the violence behind them? Or is this typical? What about the real violence Dan experiences? What are his other methods of escape? What is Dan like, considering his age and his situation? What is his relationship with his mother? His father? His siblings? Do you find these relationships odd in any way? Compare them to Evelyn's relationships. Do you agree with Dan's assessment that "for seven long years Dan Crane had hung on grimly. Seven years: his whole life, a slave" (p. 286)? What exactly is Dan hungering for? Whose point of view is the story told from? How does that affect what we read and how we interpret things? Immediately, our "hero" is introduced as "Dan Crane" -- this is in contrast to Dave from "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" where Dave's last name isn't revealed until the very end. In fact, Dan is often referred to by his full name. Is there any significance to this or any significance to the times when he is only referred to as "Dan" or "Danny"? There are a couple of references to time and how Dan can't count or tell time -- is this significant?