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Fantasy versus reality is a recurring idea in the book. Young children have a very limited scope of the world and their place in it. It is up to the family to instill values and self-worth in a child while finding ways to help the child grow and mature. This may be done in many different ways. Bettelheim refers to fairy tales as being one of the tools used for thousands of years in addition to religious parables. There are many arguments for and against fairy tales and fables. However, the stories seem to be one of the things that stay with the child the longest, beyond any other literature.