They Cage the Animals at Night

“Home” is a complex concept for Jennings and other children in foster care who come and go from place to place. While Jennings does not spend all his time in children’s homes, he also has an unstable, dysfunctional family life outside of these homes. Because of this pervasive instability and unpredictability, Jennings does not have a dependable environment or even a family that can be defined as his “home.”

When Jennings first meets his brother Jerome, Jerome comments that the hospital is the only home he has ever known, and that he might hate living with his family, which would normally be considered his true “home.” Jerome’s definition of “home” is based on his experiences and circumstances, and so for him, his home is less with his family than it is at the hospital. Larry serves as another example: He is upset to be home with his family after his first stay with another family and in a home. He has a better time staying with Mrs. Keys, therefore he redefines his concept of “home” based on his contextual experiences. Years later, he becomes so frustrated with his family that he runs away; he begins drinking to cope with the fact that he does not feel at home in his house anymore, and he rejects it.