Friendship

Patrick Ness explores the theme of friendship throughout The Rest of Us Just Live Here, implying that friendship can overcome the deficiencies of family. Friendship is crucial to Mikey, Mel, Jared, and Henna in the novel, as each of their families is in some state of difficulty of some kind–whether is it beyond their control or of their own making. With such difficult home lives, Mikey, Mel, Jared, and Henna take great comfort in their friendship with one another.

Mikey and Mel have parents who are, at heart, loving and kind, but due to the circumstances of their lives, are cold and distant. Their mother is a career-driven politician, while their father is an alcoholic thief. Both are rarely around, and even when they are, Mikey and Mel go out of their way to avoid them. Jared’s own family has been split apart by...