If Benjamin Nab is, in fact, Ren's biological father, why does he wait as long as he does to adopt Ren? Why does he want to adopt Ren, and why does he tell Father John that he is Benjamin's brother, and Native Americans killed their parents?

What significance does The Lives of the Saints have to Ren both before and after he leaves Saint Anthony's? How does his attitude towards religion change as the novel progresses?

What effect does Dolly have on Ren? Why does Dolly seem to have such an impact on Ren?