Tales of the Madman Underground Drugs and Alcohol Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #10

"Coach," I said, "my parents were screwed-up people who drank together a lot […] Mom and Dad had drunk fights and drunk make-ups and drunk sex, and I was scared to death a lot of the time. They tucked me in when they were drunk, and I got myself cereal while they sat at the breakfast table holding their heads and groaning about their hangovers. They loved me and they fought each other and they did stupid things." (26.102)

So, what does all this boil down to? At the end of the day, alcohol has been a part of Karl's life since he was a little kid. Ugh, right? In this way, alcohol is the cause of all the problems Karl faces—it probably played a role in killing his dad, it's wrecked his mom, and ultimately, both of them tried to take Karl down with them, too.