Frank Stevens

Frank Stevens is Curt Stevens's father, an alcoholic whose illness has shaped the hidden side of his son's life. He lives with Curt in a trailer park after Curt's mother left years earlier. When Lucy unexpectedly visits, Frank slurs his words and calls her by the wrong name, exposing a home situation Curt has kept secret from everyone. Curt fears pity more than loneliness and has built a tough reputation so no one will say "poor Curt." Frank's drinking contributes to the shame and isolation behind that mask. Although Frank does not seek help during the encounter, his condition makes clear why Curt guards his privacy so fiercely. His presence reveals that the boy's sharp humor and independence are defenses formed around family pain he cannot control.