The dominant psychological arc of The Glass Castle is Jeannette’s slow yet certain rejection of her illusions concerning Dad. For much of her early childhood, Jeannette believes “Dad was perfect” (23). His intelligence, his sense of humor, and perhaps most of all his ambitions to build the Glass Castle place Dad upon a pedestal in Jeannette’s mind. Her love of her father may also stem from the fact that, superficially at least, he is far more nurturing than Mom.

These illusions, however, begin to fall away along two vectors: Jeannette’s growing personal maturity and the worsening conditions of her life with Dad. Perhaps the earliest incident that threatens Jeannette’s admiration for Dad comes when she falls out of the Green Caboose on the way to Las Vegas and an intoxicated Dad drives for miles before retrieving her. Significantly injured both physically and emotionally, Jeannette initially resists Dad’s attempts to comfort her, but all is forgiven when Dad tells her, “Damn, honey. You busted your snot locker pretty good” (31), causing her to convulse in fits of laughter. Just as Dad’s charm allows him to ingratiate himself with prospective employers on numerous occasions, his sense of humor tends to paper over intentional and unintentional acts of abuse and neglect.