Throughout his brother’s entire life, Dominick feels obligated to protect and care for Thomas. As a child and as an adult, he is frequently frustrated—first by Thomas’s “otherness” and then by the effects of Thomas’s illness. Dominick protects him from their peers’ ridicule but fears that because they are twins, Thomas’s odd traits will be mistakenly applied to him as well. This fear, coupled with the emotional toll that caring for his brother takes on him, causes Dominick to wish to distance himself from his brother. However, the promise he makes to their mother on her deathbed—that he will care for Thomas—forces Dominick to become Thomas’s strongest advocate. This creates a divide between Dominick and his first wife, Joy, who argues that in prioritizing Thomas’s well-being, Dominick neglects the commitments he has made to other people, such as her.

Just as Dominick feels burdened by the obligation to care for his brother, Ray feels burdened by the obligation to care for his adopted sons, and his care often takes harmful forms. He feels that he is carrying out his responsibility by providing financially for the twins and their mother and justifies his abuse through the belief that he needs to toughen them up to prepare them for a harsh world.