The family disappointment
Everyone assumed that Lotto was going to be “something bigger than big.” They said it was in his “stars.” The boy who was born “in the middle of a hurricane,” a little genius who could recite like an actor, wasn’t supposed to be a family disappointment. He got disinherited and it didn’t bother him. He worked and earned almost nothing, still Lotto was happier than a better half of Manhattan. He was “doing what” he “loved,” he had a woman he loved and that was enough. How much does one need anyway? He “disappointed” Sally, his mother, his “stars” and even his and Rachel’s “dead father.” In spite of the fact that he pretended not to care, those words wounded him even more. He had been deprived of his family’s love for so long that the fear of being lonely didn’t leave him until his death.
A family and its role
As a rule, families play an important role in our lives. Family is typically a gift, something to be treasured and cared about, when relationships between family members are warm, loving, full of mutual respect, just the way they should be. However, there many families that fall apart like a house of cards. Lotto’s family is an example. In spite of the fact that he is an adult and is married, he still can’t get over the fact that his own mother decided to send him away to a boarding school, that she recommended him not to come home during holidays. That used to taunt him a lot when he was younger. Lotto hasn’t seen his mother “for a long time” and he still feels “very bad.” It is like Antoinette feels any better, she suffers a lot too, but pride doesn’t let her bury the hatchet.
A gilded cage
Some people want to start families and have babies, some want to travel, others thrive on attention, and others need fame to be happy. Mathilde is the kind of person who needs stability in her life to be able to live the way she wants. She is not afraid of work – the woman has already proved that she can support both herself and her helpless husband – and she is not afraid of being judged. Mathilde builds her “gilded cage” to satisfy he own need for security and stability. If Lotto thinks with his heart, Mathilde prefers to use her brains.
