Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Among the Hidden, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Propaganda, Fear, and Control
Privilege, Wealth, and Perspective
Protest and Resistance
Coming of Age, Independence, and Family
Summary
Analysis
By the middle of September, Luke is familiar with the new routine. Mother has to get to the factory early, so breakfast is always hurried. Luke’s toast is always dry, but he doesn’t want to ask for butter. Since the kitchen window is always open now, this would mean that someone would have to pretend to need something upstairs just to bring him the butter dish. Once everyone is gone to school or work, Luke goes to the attic. He watches Matthew and Mark get on the bus from the front vent, and then spends the rest of the day watching the workmen put together the new houses. The houses are huge and these days, the workmen are painting and installing carpet.
Luke’s family acts all the time as though they’re being watched and can’t trust anyone. This reflects how afraid they are of the Government, particularly if the Government were to discover Luke’s existence. Though Luke now gets less time with his family, he has entertainment that changes daily as the workmen construct and finish the new houses. And watching the houses is something that only Luke gets to do, which helps him feel independent and as though he has his own thing to love.
Themes
The traffic in the new housing development starts to change, too. Luke watches fancy cars drive up to the houses and families get out. He realizes the visiting families want to buy the houses, so he studies his potential new neighbors. All the people who look at the houses are Barons, who are extremely rich and powerful. They look different from Luke’s family members: the men all wear what Dad calls “sissy clothes,” which are clean and dressy. Luke is embarrassed, but he can’t figure out if he’s embarrassed that the new people are dressed like that, or because his family can’t dress like that.
It's clear that Luke has heard of Barons before, but he hasn’t seen any wealthy people before this. He’s learning more about his world and its apparent income inequality by watching these families come see the houses. Luke’s embarrassment is interesting. It’s not like he’s learning for the first time that his family is poor, but it may be a shock for him to see just how poor his family is compared to these Barons.
Themes
Luke pays special attention when people show up with kids, and he keeps an eye out for any third children—though he knows nobody would dare bring a third child out in public. Maybe if a family moved in with only one kid, he could pretend to be their second child. Whenever Luke has a thought like that, he stops watching the houses and reads instead. Most of the books available are about farming, but there are a few adventure stories. They help him forget he’s a third child.
The fact that Luke is looking for third children at all highlights how alone he feels. He desperately wants to connect with someone, anyone, who might understand how he’s feeling—but for now, he has no way of knowing if he’s the only third child in the world or not. At this point, even daydreaming about leaving his current life feels dangerous, so Luke goes out of his way to stop himself from dreaming of more for himself.
Themes
Around noon, Dad comes in from the field to eat and Luke eats with him. Dad doesn’t talk, but he turns on the radio until he leaves again. Mother comes home at 6:30 and gets right to work doing household chores, and Matthew and Mark don’t visit Luke much since they have homework. The three boys used to be able to play outside after sundown, but now they’re stuck playing checkers or cards. They’d all rather be outside. The best part of Luke’s day is when Mother tucks him in—until the day that Mother falls asleep in the middle of a sentence. Luke tells Mother he’s too old to be tucked in and swallows the lump in his throat.
The new routine, and particularly Mother’s new job, means that Luke is left to his own devices more than ever before. And being inside all the time also starts to feel even more constricting. It makes Luke feel less connected to his brothers, too, since he knows neither of them want to be inside. It’s a sign of Luke’s burgeoning maturity when he asks Mother to stop tucking him in. He’s giving up something he loves so that she can get some more sleep, something that’s extremely selfless.
Themes
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