After he arrives at his mother’s house, Christopher keeps insisting that he needs to take his A-level exams. What is his mother’s reaction to his demands? What does this tell us about her relationship with him?

Mother keeps putting it off suggesting that he can take the test another time. Initially she dismisses it all together. Mother is ill equipped to handle Chris, she has her own demons to deal with, her struggle with depression being one. When she loses her job Chris asks again but her problems distract her from Chris's needs.