All of the main characters in the book come from families affected by death, divorce, or alcoholism. Thomas’s mother died when he was young, and his father subsequently became an alcoholic. Junior parents were both alcoholics who died in a car wreck. Victor’s father left. After Backgammon’s death, Chess and Checker’s mother left, and their father became an alcoholic. The problems caused by their parents continue to plague the characters.

Throughout the book, the characters’ dreams and nightmares are described. As previously mentioned, Junior feels that his dreams should contain visions, just like those of Indians on television. While the characters may or may not gain knowledge from their dreams, the dreams often predict or foreshadow something future events, like when Thomas has a vision of someone coming into the sweat lodge and stealing the Indians’ songs.  Dreams are also used as a device to reveal information about a character’s past.

When Robert Johnson arrives on the reservation with his guitar, he is afraid to play it for fear of calling the Gentleman. He leaves it with Thomas when he goes to Big Mom’s house. From the beginning, it is clear that the guitar has magical properties. After Victor and Junior smash it, Thomas finds that it has fixed itself over night.