The supportive bonds of family recur as a central theme in the story. In the last conversation he ever has with his mother, the narrator learns that his father has spent years living with the guilt and fury caused by witnessing his own brother’s death, which he was helpless to prevent. At the same time, the narrator discovers how strong and resilient his mother has been in supporting his father and hiding his grief from their children. His mother’s selflessness is shown when she expresses how thankful she is that she was able to help her husband to “get safely through this world” before dying herself. However, suspecting (correctly, as it turns out) that she may never see her older son again, she passes on to him her responsibility for Sonny’s welfare. When he protests that Sonny is a good boy, she responds that this is not the point. “It ain’t only the bad ones, nor yet the dumb ones that gets sucked under.” She also warns him that the two of them will quarrel but that this must not prevent him from keeping his promise.

The narrator indeed quarrels with Sonny several times and allows his anger to estrange him from his brother, for which he duly feels guilty. It is a tragedy within his own family—the death of his daughter—that finally motivates him to reestablish contact with Sonny after his arrest. Despite his feelings of guilt, the narrator and his extended family, including his wife’s parents, attempt to look after Sonny, and their quarrels with him stem ultimately from the frustration of these attempts. In this sense, the narrator emulates his father’s relationship with Sonny. He tells us himself that his father and Sonny never got on well, explaining: “It was because he loved Sonny so much and was frightened for him, that he was always fighting with him.” Despite these difficulties in sustaining his bond with Sonny, the narrator feels that he cannot forsake his responsibility to support his brother. The bonds of family are deeper than fraternal quarrels.