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Broken promises in the past can lead to not trusting people in the future.

On page 25 from the book it tells us:

"When Dad wasn’t telling us about all the amazing things he had already done, he was telling us about the wondrous things he was going to do. Like build the Glass Castle."

The picture of a broken slab of concrete with the words "PROMISES" written on it shows us that there are two different words that are meant to be put together. The words "broken" and "promises" make the phrase "broken promises." This shows whenever Rex promises his children something, in this case the glass castle, that he will never complete it and therefore, it is a broken promise. This is an example of the theme because all those failures from Jeannette's father led her to not trust anyone or make it hard to at least. She would always question people or analyze them. This shows that she doesn't immediately trust people.

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Eventually in life, the child takes care of the parent.

On page 219 it tells us:

“If you want to be treated like a mother, you should act like one.”

The picture shows us a sign that welcomes us and tells us to not stay for too long. But it never tells us who it's for, it's mainly directed to anyone who comes across with disappointment. It can be a personal motto for Jeannette. Because she was always scared of disappointing her parents. That one day that they would just leave without her and she'd be all alone. Then later in the story you can see how Jeannette is slowly realizing that she shouldn't be living this life and that her parents are at fault. Then instead of being scared of them she's just disappointed in them. Her father won't stop drinking or gambling, and her mother won't get work or accept welfare from the government. Because you love them so much she doesn't have it in herself to tell them the day or act like children. Only in rare moments like in page 219 does she say something that gets her in trouble later with her father. This is an example of the theme because Jeannette and her siblings literally have to make their mom roll out of bed so they can get to school on time and not have Rose Mary fired. She acts like a child by saying that she's sick when in reality she's not. Then in another part of the book she said that she doesn't want all the responsibilities when it comes to a job. So at the end of the day, both Rex and Rose Mary's children have to take care of them to prevent a disaster from happening. Their children took more care of them than their own parents took care of them. Just like what the picture says, it’s disappointing.

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Love hurts but it's worth it.

On page 188 it tells us:

"I don't blame Dad" I said. And I didn't. But Dad seemed hell-bent on destroying himself, and I was afraid he was going to pull us all down with him. We've got to get away."

The picture shows us a heart stabbed with arrows. This tells us that the heart had been damaged. It bleeds all over the surface and it looks a bit cracked. But at the end of the day the heart is still there and it's not broken. Just like Jeannette's love for her father. This is an example of the theme because Jeannette loves her father despite his flaws but every single time he starts to drink or do anything crazy, Jeannette is hurt by his actions. But she still loves him and continues to stay with him throughout her childhood. It may hurt her but in her mind it's worth it because she gets to be with her dad. Regardless of how much it might hurt her and the rest of her family.

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Not having people to look out for you makes you look out for yourself.

On page 66 from the book it tells us:

"If you don't want to sink then you better figure out how to swim"

The picture of a person planting a plant in a pot shows us that a person is taking time from their day to create life for the plant. To do something that might benefit them or anyone other. Whether it makes them feel good about themselves or doing a job/favor. This is an example of the theme because Jeannette's parents were never able to provide for them. At some points they could but it was never a permanent thing. Jeannette and her siblings would always get mistreated and not fed enough. They would not have a safe place to sleep and it was never kept clean. So when Jeanette left to New York to move in with Lori, she got herself a job and started to earn money for herself. She was also able to feed herself and help pay for the rent when she was living with Lori. She was never taken care of in her childhood, so she took care of herself and it led all the way into her adulthood.

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Things are not what they seem once you leave your childhood and enter into adulthood.

On page 121 from the book, it tells us that Jeannette and her family were picked up by a lady in a van who gave them sandwiches and sodas. She was calling them "you poor people." But not in the financial sense. She was saying it in a different way. Mainly because they were walking in the dessert with literally nothing. But Jeannette took it in an offensive way. She then responded to the lady by saying:

"we're not poor."

Which is clearly the wrong answer. They live in a car and barely survive with the little food they have. That's if they have any. They are covered in the dust from the desert and walking barefoot on the dirt. The picture of a person walking between two worlds can show us how Jeannette's life probably was. Especially during the times before she left to New York. Both worlds she knew about were falling apart and merging into one. This is an example of the theme because when Jeannette was a child she thought her life was normal. Moving from place to place, not having enough food, and having her parents not take good care of her and her siblings. She thought walking in the dessert barefoot was normal. She didn't question it. Then once she was about to leave for New York, that's when everything fell apart. She realized that the life she was living was very different from the life she lives when she's in New York.

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Regardless of what happens, sometimes you need to accept things the way they are.

On page 221 it tells us:

“I had made two decisions. The first was that I'd had my last whipping. No one was ever going to do that to me again. The second was that, like Lori, I was going to get out of Welch. The sooner the better. Before I finish high school, if I could.”

Jeannette was able to complete her demands for herself. She was fed up with her parents and eventually got out of Welch and moved to New York. The picture shows a plain white background with the word acceptance and a period right next to it. This shows us that accepting something can come in many different forms. In Jeanette's case, it was leaving her parents and moving in with her sister in New York. But for others, acceptance can be kept to themselves. An example is Lori, she never complained. Out loud at least. She always kept her thoughts to herself. It wasn't written in great detail but you can tell by Lori's character and attitude that she was a very quiet person when they came to conflict. Only when she got pushed over the edge is when she started to get angry. Another example is when her father stole all the money she had saved up in her piggy bank or after Maureen’s trial when everyone started to fight. This is an example of the theme because even though Jeannette's parents were bad people, bad at parenting, and bad at taking care of themselves, she still loved them and they accepted them as they were. Even though it took some time for her to heal from the “experiences” she had with them. She was ashamed of telling everyone who her parents really were. She was afraid that people wouldn't see her the same anymore. But she later got the courage to tell people that her parents were homeless at one point and not that great with children. Which led her to write this book accepting the fact that she is okay with the world knowing her story.