Good Kings Bad Kings

Teddy’s voice shows how he is merely a young adult trying to understand his world. Like many young adults, he is bracing himself for independence and is unsure about his future and about how to handle the emotional complexities between him and Mia. He functions as a symbol for the innocence and ordinary adolescence of youth. Even though he is viewed as a troublemaker, he is caring and looks out for his friend, showing that there is more to his character than surface characteristics suggest: “Bernard, when I get my own place, you gotta move in with me” (159). Teddy’s sense of caring and looking out for others is overshadowed by the fact that he is a disabled youth who is labeled as problematic. He isn’t the only person who is struggling to cope with his situation at ILLC. Ricky, a supposedly mature adult, also struggles with his place and relationships there.

Ricky’s internalized guilt begins to overwhelm him. He clearly has a soft spot for the patients and wants them to be happy and well-cared for, but instead, they are tossed into “stinky” boxes instead of being allowed to enjoy themselves, and he feels angry and helpless:

Here’s a kid, she’s not doing a damn thing, so what do they want? They want to stick the kid, by herself, into a stinky room, size of a doughnut hole. Kid is either—either doing too much of something or too little of something. Fuck you, Mrs. Velasquez (160).

His character’s sense of supporting disabled people of all backgrounds is sincere, and Joanne’s influence on him is helping him grow more aware and capable of making small changes for those around him.

Joanne’s influence has also started to impact Michelle, as she becomes more conscious of the devious occurrences at various IMDs. She reflects on various things she sees at her job, including political visits: “[T]he company donated $765,000 last year to politicians. […] Whitney-Palm must give money to their campaigns so the politicians won’t do anything that would be bad for companies that run nursing homes and IMDs” (168). Though she hasn’t outright mentioned her reservations to Tim, she is starting to question her company’s actions more, while sharing her personal doubts and concerns. The recent neglect and deaths of multiple patients may have stirred her more into awareness about how things need to improve. Her mention of Joanne’s concern suggests that Joanne, once her foil, has had a positive influence on her.

In a keystone moment, Yessenia looks at the photo Joanne gave her of the crippled young man at a protest, and she feels empowered. The lack of care and respect she receives—highlighted by how she wasn’t able to say bye to her best friend—amplifies her frustration and desire for independence. Meanwhile, Jimmie is feeling shameful about not being able to help Mia sooner, and she knows Yessenia is in an extremely vulnerable position; Jimmie wants to help them both. The idea of the “institution” or “system” is made literal during a conversation with Joanne, and Jimmie wonders what her place is within it. The bigger picture of how not just individuals like Mia or Yessie—but many people—are affected by the flawed nature of privatized healthcare begins to take shape: “what happened to Mia is not, like, an isolated incident. It happens in a lot of, or Joanne said all, institutions. Her idea is it’s the System” (178). The exploitation of disabled people is intentional, systemic, and targeted; since it yields profit for others, no one steps up to defend the disabled community, making them ideal victims for these social crimes.