Child abandonment is a recurring idea in the book. Ralph "Sonny" Barger was abandoned by his mother when he was just four months old. His father, Ralph, Sr., eked out a living for Sonny and his older sister, Shirley. Ralph worked as a "lumper" and in other menial jobs. He didn't earn much and there were never any extras. Although Sonny had a father, he was a father in name only. He was a functioning alcoholic, meaning that he held down a job and never drank enough on the job to lose it but made up for it when he was home.
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