ut I will try to explain her social/psychological problems the best I can. From my perspective I see David's mother as being very depressed. Although she was able to maintain a some-what normal life for sometime, there was always an overlying sickness in her. "Once, when I was four or five years old, mom said she was sick, and I remember feeling that she did not seem to be herself at all. It was a day when Father was working at the fire station. After serving dinner, Mom rushed from the table and began painting the steps that led to the garage...The paint had not fully dried, when mom began tacking rubber mats tot the steps. The red paint was all over the mats and mom. When she finished, mom went into the house and collapsed on the couch. I remember asking her why she had put the mats down before the paint dried. She smiled and said, " I just wanted to surprise your dad." (p.18) This impulsive action, that was a result of her "feeling sick" is an example of the mother's weird behaviors, even before the time of the excessive abuse.
             Catherine was also a well put together person at one point, but soon her looks began to go and she no longer dressed herself up. "After a while, I could determine what kind of day I was going to have by the way she dressed. I would breathe a sigh of relief whenever I saw mom come out of her room in a nice dress with her face made up. On these days she always came out with a smile." (p.30) His mother also was an alcoholic. Her alcoholism may have been a result of her depression, or vise versa. Either way, Catherine had emotional problems that led her to abusing her son.
             The relationship between Catherine and her son was more like a game. Their relationship was not based on love. Although David still loved his mother, I do not see how his mother could have possibly loved him. "In order to survive, I could never give in to her. That day I vowed to myself tha...