The Hiding Place | Themes

The Hiding Place Themes

Sibling Relationships

Dolores is the youngest of six daughters, a situation that opens up a whole list of sibling rivalry scenarios. However, Dolores only suffers this typical family dynamic from two of her sisters. Celesta is twelve years older than Dolores, so she is more concerned with the world outside the family home than the torture of her younger siblings. Marina leaves home when Dolores is only a month old, and Fran is consumed with her own pursuits. Rose and Luca often take advantage of their position in the family to force Dolores to hand over her prized possessions for information. They sometimes tie her in a sheet to force information out of her or lock her in the rabbit hutch when she becomes a major annoyance to them. However, the adult Dolores will finally discover that some of these acts of normal, if slightly vicious, sibling rivalry did not take place...
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