The Glass Castle shows cases of abuse throughout the novel. To begin, Rex’s actions toward his mother, Erma, and the way he continuously drinks suggests that he was sexually abused by her as a child. Also, Jeannette’s friend, Dinitia, became pregnant when she was no older than fourteen and stabbed her mother’s boyfriend to death shortly after. Her actions let the reader infer that the boyfriends had gotten her pregnant. Additionally, Jeannette was sexaully asssualted by strangers as well as family members such as Uncle Stanley. Her parents refuse to believe her, claiming that she could stand her ground. The reluctance for help shows that her parents don’t think Jeannette truly needed help or was ever in danger.
