Content Warning: This section mentions child abuse.

“On that day and for all the days that followed when he made no sound, my friend Branwell was screaming on the inside. And no one heard. Except me.”

Branwell falls into an extended silence after a traumatic incident and being blamed for a crime that he did not commit. Connor is the only one who fully believes in Branwell and knows how to reach him even through the walls that Branwell has built around himself. Silence as a Form of Communication becomes one of the story’s major themes as Connor and Branwell rely on Friendship, Family, and Their Unspoken Understandings to prove Branwell’s innocence.

“Friendship depends on interlocking time, place, and state of mind.”

Connor reflects on the nature of friendship and how his and Branwell’s friendship formed over several years due to a shared life history and being so close in age. They are almost more like brothers than friends because they grew up together and continue to be each other’s primary source of support.

“In the weeks that followed, I discovered that the reasons for his not speaking were layered. He could not speak until the last layer had been peeled away and laid aside.”

In this metaphor, Connor explains the complex nature of Branwell’s silence and the arduous process of helping him speak again. Branwell is harboring more than one secret, as well as a deep sense of shame, and Connor has to crack through it all to reach the truth. The Impact of Shame on One’s Personal Choices is most clearly demonstrated through Branwell’s silence on what he knows is wrong.