The debt that the Oyama family inherited and built upon is a constant presence in their lives. It consumes their thoughts, and, according to their superstitions, almost costs Mrs. Oyama her life. As oppressive as the debt is, it is also something that ties the family together: “Every child must repay his parents” (30). It gives them a common purpose, and all decisions are considerate of the existing debt.

When Kiyo wins $6,000 playing craps and sends it back to his family, it seems like more than a discharging of a debt. It seems like the death of the Oyama family as it once existed. Without the debt hanging over their heads, each family member is free to pursue their own needs and desires. This adjustment may be difficult for Mr. and Mrs. Oyama, who have spent the whole of their adult lives working off one debt or another. 

Mrs. Oyama sees herself as being punished for the bad deeds of others. She convinces herself and Kiyo that she will die because of the inherited debt. Obaban  believes that it is possible for one person to serve as a substitute for another’s bad deeds, and she offers herself as a sacrifice so that Mrs.