Both parents know their suffering will pass down to their children but in the meantime want to protect the boys from the cruel world they were forced to live in. .

             Their mother's role was to protect her family from the darkness of the world they lived in and after she passed the brothers had to finally face the real world, while their father shared Sonny's personality and lost his brother at an early age which haunted him till his death. If their mother hadn't asked the narrator to watch over Sonny the two brother's would have ultimately lost their relationship and Sonny would have became his father. Most importantly, Sonny and the narrator both seek a relationship with each other. They do see different issues in getting there but they both want to be apart of the other's life and they know that one another is the only real family left for them. Sonny sees himself as a burden on his sister in law's family and isn't as interested in getting his college degree, while the narrator thinks without his degree that Sonny is hopeless with nothing to fall back on. Despite these issues, the two find their way back to each other because they need each other, whether they'll admit it or not. .

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             The narrator and Sonny were arguably further different then similar in many ways including educationally, personality, and professionally. Sonny pursued his college degree but was never able to graduate and he felt the whole thing was a waste of time and money. This isn't to say Sonny's not intelligent he just isn't the bookworm type and more of a creative mind. The narrator had his degree in mathematics and taught children for a living and was happy doing so. To teach mathematics requires a strong, focused mind, one that's more disciplined and suited for the college life. Their personalities are what really labels them apart from each other though. Our narrator doesn't like to take risks in life and his views can be labeled conservative, with a bright mind who has a better understanding then Sonny of what's right and wrong.