Theories of Relativity

Until the back half of the novel, Jenna’s characterization is mostly seen through Dylan’s romanticization of her. Jenna is beautiful, with “white-blond hair, mournful blue eyes, and tremulous lips” (6). Jenna is 14, though she has told Dylan she is almost 16. She is Dylan’s love interest for most of the novel.

Through Dylan, Jenna is characterized as a pure soul. Her introduction has her begging in front of a church, intentionally styled to resemble the Virgin Mary to garner sympathy from the churchgoers leaving mass. Jenna, being young and new to the streets, easily falls prey to Vulture and ends up tied to him throughout the novel, despite Dylan’s efforts to help her break free.

Though Jenna is mostly portrayed as an innocent girl caught up with a bad crowd, there are moments where her cunning is shown. Dylan finds out that she lied about her age when the police ask about her. Later in the novel, Jenna’s betrayal of Dylan becomes more targeted. She promises to meet him at the bus station to go with him to Murdock but fails to show up. Instead of simply rejecting Dylan, she gives him hope of a fresh start with her only to betray him by revealing Dylan’s plan to Vulture, which leads to the brutal beating that Lurch and the Bandana Kids inflict on Dylan. These events prime Dylan for his dependence on drugs, which Jenna causes by feeding him pills and getting him addicted when he is too broken to protest. Dylan still thinks the best of Jenna until a Bandana Kid reveals that Jenna and Vulture intentionally got Dylan hooked on pills.

Jenna’s willingness to participate in sex work and refusal to return to her family is a mystery to Dylan through most of the novel; however, toward the end, Jenna reveals that her father sexually abused her, leading her to run away from home. This information finally explains Jenna motivation for choosing this life with Vulture and the rest of the street kids.

Amber is a complex character who originally starts as a foil for Jenna, representing everything Dylan fears will happen to Jenna. Amber is described as tall, with “golden skin and black hair bound into countless tiny braids” (59). She “curses like it’s a natural part of the English language” (60), which Dylan says is a habit that some street kids adopt to prove they aren’t scared. Amber is the first person to show kindness to Dylan on the streets, taking him in, showing him how to beg for money, and teaching him the unspoken rules of the street. However, when Amber alluded to her sex work while having sex with Dylan, he became disgusted by her and left her rented room while she slept. At the beginning of the novel, Dylan is avoiding Amber because of this interaction.

Amber is protective of her friends, particularly Dylan. Her first interactions with him reveal that she is still upset at him for not saying goodbye. Despite Dylan’s contempt for her, she never does anything to put Dylan in danger, unlike Jenna. In fact, Amber watches out for Dylan, warning him about Vulture whenever Dylan attempts to pry Jenna free. When Dylan first confronts the Bandana Kids, Amber is the one who scatters them by mentioning a cop nearby when there isn’t one.

Amber’s arc works in direct contrast with Jenna’s. Initially, Amber is deeply connected to Vulture, working the streets for him and benefitting from his control. However, Amber falls pregnant, and as her stomach grows, so does the distance between her and Vulture, eventually leading to Vulture cutting her loose.

When Dylan and Amber talk about her expected child, her tenderness comes out. Amber longs for real love and affection and believes a child will bring that to her. This tenderness is also seen in the way Amber cares for Dylan after his beating, tending to his needs and staying with him so he won’t be afraid. Finally, Amber’s tenderness and care for those around her is shown through her knowledge of the street people. Instead of calling people names like the Swear Lady or the Garbage Man, Amber knows their real names as well as their stories, showing that she takes the time to get to know those around her and care about them on a personal level.

Vulture is the main antagonist, acting as an ever-present threat to Dylan and the other the street kids. Vulture is a static character who doesn’t have an arc himself, though he controls the narratives of everyone Dylan interacts with. Vulture pimps out Amber and Jenna, providing the girls with food, clothing, and shelter. He takes the money they earn, keeping them indebted to him so they cannot break free of his hold. Vulture also has control of Twitch, who will do anything to get his next hit of drugs. Vulture has eyes and ears all over the city and, as a Bandana Kid describes, all throughout other cities as well.

Vulture’s deep involvement with the street kids affects every aspect of Dylan’s life on the streets. Dylan works hard to avoid contact with Vulture, but his interest in Jenna has him regularly stepping on Vulture’s toes. Vulture threatens Dylan every time he gets too close to Jenna. Vulture is the one who sends Lurch and the Bandana Kids to beat Dylan after he tries to get Jenna to run away with him. This event is the catalyst to Dylan becoming hooked on drugs, which is exactly Vulture’s goal. Vulture knows Dylan is a threat to his empire, so bringing Dylan under his control gives Vulture the final advantage.

Dylan’s mom is characterized as selfish, lazy, and irresponsible. She’s had multiple partners throughout her life who have fathered children with her. Micha, Jordan, and Dylan all have separate fathers, none of whom are in the boys’ lives anymore. Dylan’s mom lies about the boys’ fathers to Dan, and when Dylan indicates he won’t go along with this lie because Micha is Black, she throws him out of the house. Dylan’s mom has a habit of throwing people away when they stop benefitting her. She threw out Jordan’s father when he became abusive and Micha’s father when his presence threatened her government assistance.

In addition to people, Dylan’s mom treats houses as disposable, moving from place to place whenever the landlord catches on to her failure to pay rent. She also frequently fails to pay phone bills, water bills, and electric bills. In Dylan’s memories, he regularly takes on roles that his mother should have occupied. Dylan recalls standing in line for a Christmas turkey from a charity organization and lying about his mom being sick because they almost wouldn’t give him the turkey. Dylan also recalls visits from the social worker that he’d have to prepare for all by himself by bathing his brothers, buying bread, and cleaning the house so it appeared the boys were cared for.

Dylan’s mom is also shown to be cruel. During one of Dylan’s visits, she reveals that she kept Dylan from his grandparents because she lost her government money when he stayed with them. Because his grandparents wouldn’t give her any money, she stopped letting Dylan see them. She reveals this to Dylan and then taunts him, saying, “Guess they didn’t want you that bad” (149-50). She also kept his grandparents’ letters and news of his grandmother’s death from Dylan. Her disregard for Dylan’s connection to his grandparents, and her prioritization of money over Dylan’s well-being, shows how cruel Dylan’s mom can be in order to get what she wants.

Glen, as Dylan describes him, is a “computer nerd” and a highly successful businessman. Glen’s company occupies the top four floors of the office building that Dylan sits in front of. Glen uses his money and success to help fund programs for street kids like Dylan. Glen sees potential in Dylan, especially after noticing Dylan’s interest in Einstein. Glen genuinely wants to help Dylan, but Glen’s experiences with street kids have taught him when to say no and when to back away from a situation.

Glen knows what addiction looks like because of his little brother, who overdosed and died living on the streets. When Dylan asks Glen for more money, Glen knows Dylan has been high on drugs and refuses to offer help. Glen’s aid to Dylan is conditional: Dylan must be sober and must work to pay off his debts to Glen. The help Glen offers to Dylan throughout the novel is invaluable to Dylan, but it isn’t until the final chapters that Dylan understands this and accepts Glen’s assistance.

Ainsley is a former street kid who works at the youth center helping kids who are in the same position she was once in. Ainsley is studying to become a social worker because she wants to make a difference in the lives of the kids she works with. Ainsley is described as “a gaunt woman with a cap of black, curly hair and dark eyes” (64). Ainsley has scars and track marks up her arms from the time she spent on the streets. She never divulges full details about her experiences, but she uses these experiences to give sage advice to Dylan, Twitch, Amber, and Jenna. Amber says Ainsley broke free of Vulture because she is tough and fought her way out.

Ainsley is shown to be nurturing and caring toward the street kids. She guards the youth center, ensuring it’s a safe place for those who occupy it and kicking out people like Lurch and the Bandana Kids whenever they threaten to make trouble. Ainsley tries her best to help Twitch when he falls ill, making a doctor’s appointment for him and urging him to accept medical help. She also attempts to help Amber with her pregnancy, advising her on what to eat and drink and encouraging her to seek prenatal care.