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Chapter 29
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Counting by 7s, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Independent Thinking
Bureaucracy
Grief and Survival
Chosen Family
Summary
Analysis
Dell worries about all the lies he’s caught in the middle of, such as the idea that Pattie was an old friend of Willow’s mom and dad. Now, when Willow comes to his office, the two of them just sit in silence for 55 minutes. Meanwhile, Pattie hasn’t enrolled in any of the necessary foster parent classes. She knows there’s a family court date for Willow in about two months, but Pattie tries not to think about it.
Willow’s silence in the office with Dell seems to reflect that both of them are stalling in their progress to improve themselves. Willow learns that recovering from grief isn’t a linear process and that she’ll face setbacks. Meanwhile, Dell learns that after the initial excitement and motivation goes away, sometimes he’ll go back to his old habits.
Active
Themes
