What is the main conflict in Stop-time by Frank Conroy?

This autobiographical memoir recounts important incidents and circumstances in the author's life from the ages of nine through eighteen. It is, essentially, what is generally known as a "coming of age" story, a narrative in which a young person discovers important, necessary truths about the nature of being an adult - indeed, of simply being a human being. This is the narrative's primary theme, with secondary themes exploring the attraction and responsibilities of individual independence and the metaphorical nature of travel.