Content Warning: The source text and this section of the guide discuss substance misuse, addiction, and domestic violence.

Personal growth and identity development are key focal points within the narrative, and Amadeo and Angel both show significant emotional growth over the course of the story. Amadeo is initially selfish, self-serving and attention-seeking. These qualities characterize all of his familial relationships to some degree. Angel begins the story further along her journey of self-knowledge than Amadeo, but still mired in uncertainty about the future and anger for her mother.

It is largely through his increased contact with Angel that Amadeo begins to grow and to discover that he actually does have the makings of a responsible father. One of the first moments that readers can see evidence of this growth is the scene where Angel swerves to miss what she thinks might be a coyote in the road. In this moment, notably, she is driving because Amadeo’s license is suspended; she is once again a young person wrestling with an adult responsibility. In the aftermath of her mistake, Angel panics, realizing that she could have caused an accident. But when she cries “I’m a horrible mother,” Amadeo calmly tells her that “every parent makes mistakes” (198).