The theme of coming-of-age features heavily throughout The Mosquito Coast. In the relative isolation in which the Fox children have grown up, few reference points are accessible to Charlie and Jerry through which they might perceive themselves relative to their peers. Though they understand their father to be remarkable and their lifestyle unconventional, they can neither engage in and learn from social interactions customary for their age group, nor draw comparisons between their family dynamics and those of other children. The occasion for direct comparison arises over the course of Charlie’s interactions with Emily Spellgood. He reflects:

Emily Spellgood was from that other world that Father had forbidden us to enter. And yet it seemed glamorous to me. It was something you could boast about. It made our life seem dull and home-made, like the patches on our clothes. But if I could not have that life, then I was glad we were going very far away, where no one would see us.

Even though Charlie and Jerry’s experiences are extreme, the emotional evolution and intellectual processes which influence their perceptions and actions are typical of their developmental ages. Both boys are disappointed and angered by their parents’ flaws. They both accept the notion that there are certain aspects of their lives that should remain secret unto themselves or only shared with other children.