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Chapter 3
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Among the Hidden, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Propaganda, Fear, and Control
Privilege, Wealth, and Perspective
Protest and Resistance
Coming of Age, Independence, and Family
Summary
Analysis
A few days later, when Luke comes downstairs for breakfast, things do get worse. As usual, Luke silently opens the stair door, peeks into the kitchen, and whispers if the windows are closed. At the sound of his voice, Mother appears in the doorway with a plate of bacon and eggs. She asks him to eat on the bottom step; Dad doesn’t think it’s safe for Luke to eat in the kitchen, even with the shades closed. From the table, Dad says that yesterday a construction worker asked if they had air conditioning, since the shades were closed—people will get suspicious. Luke accepts his plate, but the food looks terrible now. Mother pleadingly says that things won’t be too different and scurries back to the kitchen. Luke wants to argue with his parents, but he reminds himself that they’re just trying to protect him.
Luke already feels uncomfortably different from his brothers. His life is constrained, and he has few “normal” experiences. Not letting him eat at the table deprives him of one more normal experience, in addition to not letting him connect with his family members. In Dad’s opinion, this is a small price to pay to keep Luke safe from nosy construction workers. But this is devastating for Luke. Interestingly, Mother seems like she might not fully agree with Dad, but she’s not willing to stand up to him. So Luke is forced to sit alone, feeling even less like he belongs in his family.
Themes
