25. Explain the quotation on page 115: “When Dad went crazy, we all had our own ways of shutting down and closing off, and that was what we did that night.”

Dad had just burned down the Christmas tree and ruined what was supposed to be the best Christmas ever. Jeannette is referring, in this quote, to the fact that no one even acknowledged his behavior. The family was well aware of Mr. Walls behavior, and unfortunately, each of the family members had their own coping mechanisms to deal with it.