Shattering Glass

Throughout the novel, Simon and Rob grow in similar ways. How are they parallel characters, despite their obvious differences?

Young continually does exactly what Rob wants throughout the novel, and he offers various reasons for doing so. Choose one reason that Young gives for faithfully obeying Rob and explain how this informs Young’s character.

Young and Rob were both sexually molested by men that were close to them, but they deal with their respective trauma in different ways. Taking this into consideration, how does sexual molestation function as a theme throughout the novel?

By the end of the novel, it’s revealed that Coop, Bob, and Young all had issues with their dads, and they admittedly followed Rob’s plan because they viewed him as a rewarding father figure. However, each of these three characters reacts very differently while Rob is beating Simon to death. Explore the differences between these three characters, as evidenced by their reactions during Simon’s murder.

Coop, Bob, and Young do whatever Rob wants them to do, but not Simon. Why is Simon able to defy Rob, while the other three characters aren’t?

Young says that Simon “was my fun house mirror,” meaning that he sees Simon as a distorted version of himself. What makes Young feel this way?

Coop, Bob, and Young each have a secret or weakness that they attempt to preserve. What are these weaknesses, and what’s at stake it they are revealed?

Is Rob an amoral character? Why or why not?