As soon as Bobby wakes up and finds that he's invisible in Things Not Seen, it's clear that his social life is destined to suffer. After all, his mom and his dad swear him to secrecy, and he's not even allowed to go to school anymore.
But he's not the only person dealing with the pangs of loneliness. Alicia isn't invisible, but she feels alone all the time now that she's blind; a lot of her friends have ditched her, and her mom keeps an eagle eye on her. And Sheila—the other invisible person that Bobby finds—remains completely isolated by choice. She hasn't even told her family about what happened to her, and intends to stay as hidden away as possible.
Questions About Isolation
- Why does Alicia get so angry all the time?
- Do you think that it was wrong of Bobby to leave the house so soon after he went invisible? Why?
- Why do you think Sheila doesn't want to become visible again?
Chew on This
Bobby knows that it would be safer to stay in the house at all times, but he ends up leaving his home because he cannot bear being alone all the time, and he needs to find some way to live his normal life.
Even though Alicia claims that all her friends moved on after she became blind, a lot of her isolation is self-imposed. She uses her anger to push other people away.