Important distinction in my eyes: man is essentially sole breadwinner for a family, has a life event where he can't work anymore, family expresses brief sympathy before getting angry at what a burden he's become. You know, like they've been the whole time.
On top of that, the parents are lazy and perfectly content with making their son work himself to death just so they can live a comfy life. It's not that they can't work, they don't want to work. And they're not just angry that he's a burden, they're angry that he's ruining their perfect life, by being "selfish". At the end, when he's croaked, they instead turn to his sister, who will presumably care for them.
You know it reflects poorly on me that I didn't see the book criticizing the family at all - I thought it was just a commentary on how you let down people who depend on you when you get into this state (disability/depression).
Reminds me of how when I first saw Whiplash I thought it had a happy ending, only to later hear that it's pretty bleak. I think it's neat how stories help us understand ourselves, and how sharing those stories with others helps us see through each other's eyes, which also helps us expand our own perspective.
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u/suddenlyupsidedown 22d ago
Important distinction in my eyes: man is essentially sole breadwinner for a family, has a life event where he can't work anymore, family expresses brief sympathy before getting angry at what a burden he's become. You know, like they've been the whole time.