“‘Stop thinking about the damn wall!’ he said. ‘There is no wall. There are only bricks. Your job is to lay this brick perfectly. Then move on to the next brick. Then lay that brick perfectly.’”

Smith describes the lesson his father teaches him while he builds a wall in his father’s shop with his younger brother. The lesson serves as the Introduction to the memoir, demonstrating the importance of this incident in creating the values Smith will live by for the rest of his life.

“My father tormented me. And he was also one of the greatest men I’ve ever known. My father was violent, but he was also at every game, play, and recital. He was an alcoholic, but he was sober at every premiere of every one of my movies. He listened to every record. He visited every studio.”

These words demonstrate Smith’s ability to see his father as a complete human being. Despite the great harm Daddio does to the family, Smith still sees good in him. Despite the good in him, Smith still sees the destruction Daddio has brought to those he loves. By refusing to pigeonhole Daddio, Smith demonstrates that he is capable of seeing the totality of a person.

“The bigger the fantasy you live, the more painful the inevitable collision with reality. If you cultivate the fantasy that your marriage will be forever joyful and effortless, then reality is going to pay you back in equal proportion to your delusion. If you live the fantasy that making money will earn you love, then the universe will slap you awake, in the tune of a thousand angry voices.”

Smith spends much of his life trying to reconcile his fantasies with reality. He has to learn that the methods he has used to garner success professionally hurt his personal life. Early on in his Hollywood career, he also has to learn that the methods he used to stay safe on the streets are detrimental in dealing with studio executives.