Roy has a very good relationship with his parents, which stands in stark contrast to those of other kids and their folks in the story. One only has to think of how Dana and his mother interact with each other to see an illustration of this point.

Roy's parents genuinely love and care for their son, which they display on a number of occasions in word and deed. An example of the latter comes when Mr. and Mrs. Eberhardt drop everything and dash off to the emergency room.

They've been told that Roy has been hurt. As it turns out, Roy's perfectly fine; Mullet Fingers is the one who's been hurt. But the hospital staff think that Mullet Fingers is Roy because Roy and Beatrice told them that that was his name. In any case, when the Eberhardts are quick to arrive at the emergency room, a clear sign of how much concern they have for their son.

The close relationship between Roy and his parents can be seen in the encouragement and support that Mr. and Mrs. Eberhardt give to Roy in his campaign to protect the owls at the Mother Paula's Pancake House construction site. Roy's mom urges her son to follow his heart while his dad helps him to dig out relevant documents that will put an end to the Pancake House project once and for all.