I am made
The chapter in which the narrator talks about finally having a sexual encounter with another man is called “The night I am made”. The night he is made is not only used in relation to his sexual experience but also to his family discovering about his homosexuality and finally sending him to a mental hospital after he has a mental breakdown out of shame and anger.
Little animals
The title of the novel suggests the main plot point of it, namely, the growing up of three wild boys in a toxic family environment. They are animals clawing for what they need, learning from their environment that it is the only way to get it.
Light in a cage
The narrator asks his father why the light is in a cage after seeing a lamp on the street. His father answers it’s for the same reason a bird is in a cage; so that it doesn’t fly away. The narrator then questions whether it can be unlocked. It is a symbolic part of the novel, as it can be interpreted in various ways. Light in a cage could refer to the boy’s hiding of homosexuality, or any other sort of entrapment that doesn’t allow freedom.
The silence
The silence is grimly described as the only way they could be happy, following the silence after their father stops calling for a few moments, after having ran away from home. It is another way of describing the toxic environment the boys are living in, with an unhealthy dynamic between the parents.
