Calvin doesn't feel like his family appreciates him, and he wishes they would care more. He calls when he's not coming home, but he doesn't even understand why he bothers because they don't even notice when he's gone. This is a stark contrast to Meg's mother, who plays an essential role in Meg's family structure and serves as an inspiration for Meg. Interestingly, while Meg is loved and accepted at home, she has a much more difficult social life, and Calvin has a very easy social life to contrast with his more isolated home life.

Calvin feels upset that Meg's family is so much tighter than his, and wishes that his parents cared more, and Calvin admires Meg for the ways she has learned to be caring from her mother.