Catherine has changed. He began drinking more than usual and soon his behavior took a dramatic turn. Becoming easily frustrated, Dave, the most hyperactive of his children, became the bane of his existence. The author never clearly explained the cause of his mother's madness, as he will never know. The 1960s were a time when people did not intervene in other people's personal matters. This is why Pelzer's case went unnoticed for quite a while. Catherine's behavior went unnoticed especially by her husband, as he was a firefighter and was not at home most of the time. Catherine found every reason she could to abuse Dave and clearly favored her other children over him. As Dave Pelzer got older, the punishments became more and more severe. It started with his mother grabbing him and slapping him in the face, followed by standing him in front of a mirror and making him repeat, “I'm a bad boy” (Pelzer, 38). Every time he repeated that phrase, his mother grabbed his face and slammed it against the mirror. This was just the beginning of the betrayal that Dave had to endure. The extensive use of pathos in this novel is exemplified in the scenario where Catherine forces Dave to lie naked on a lit stove. The ruthlessness doesn't end there. After preventing Dave from consuming any food for about 3 days, his mother states that he must finish cleaning the dishes within 20 minutes. Extremely drunk, his mother grabs a knife and puts it in front of his face and screams, “If you don't finish in time, I'll kill you” (Pelzer, 50). In her clouded state Catherine lost her balance and stabbed Dave. “It took mom almost half an hour to bandage my wound. There was no remorse in his eyes. I thought, at the very least, he would try to console me... in the middle of a piece of paper... with a frozen pumpkin pie crust or a little piece of taco shell, I was the king, and like a king on his throne, I looked at my food and smiled” (Pelzer, 79). This sense of superiority can be attributed to the point that one should never give up, no matter how difficult the situation may be. Dave Pelzer has shown admirable character for surviving a horrendous childhood and also becoming a man who strives to please his family and works for society. improvement of society. His clear and concise writing style in this novel gives us a child's point of view, which makes the book more emotional than it could be. With the use of metaphors Dave Pelzer states that the human spirit has the ability to react regardless of the condition in which it finds itself. This story should be a source of inspiration and motivation for those who believe that all hope is lost..