Dear Mr. Henshaw

Food represents a particularly difficult part of Leigh’s life. Since his parents’ divorce, money has been tight, and the dinners his mother prepares are often humble. However, Leigh’s mother is careful to make sure Leigh has enough to eat, especially at lunchtime. He explains, “I have a lot of trouble with my lunchbag. Mom isn’t so great on cooking roasts and steaks now that Dad is gone, but she makes me good lunches” (32). Bonnie prioritizes packing Leigh healthy lunches, and fortuitously, she works for a catering company, so she can supplement Leigh’s lunches with special treats from her catering soirées. Packing her son’s lunch bag becomes a way for Bonnie to show him love and affection. She may not have the means to provide fancy clothes or a better house for him, but with Katy’s help, she spoils him where she can. When an unnamed thief begins stealing the special treats from Leigh’s lunch every day, he sees it not only as theft but also as a personal attack. Leigh’s lunch bag becomes a metaphor for his life; he can’t control or stop the thief just as he can’t change his parents’ divorce or his father’s abandonment.