The main character of the film, Gilbert, feels trapped in Endora because of the burden his family causes him. Due to his father's suicide, Gilbert has been expected to take up the, all too stereotypical, role as the head of the household. He must look after his mentally challenged brother who enjoys climbing the water tower, Arnie, his over weight mother who has not left the house in seven years, Bonnie, and deal with their decrepit house with structural issues. Gilbert also shares these burdens with his sisters, Amy and Ellen, who both deal with them in different ways. Amy, the eldest sister, does the best she can to manage her family, primarily cooking and cleaning. Ellen, the youngest sibling, lashes out, hitting Arnie, and is extremely embarrassed of the dysfunction of the family. At the start of the film, Gilbert is somewhat happy to help but, as the film progresses we see him become more and more frustrated with having to stay in Endora. …show more content…
Betty is having an affair with Gilbert, who delivers groceries to her home when her husband, Ken, is working at his failing insurance business. The affair is poorly disguised but, Ken knowing is never blatantly stated and is up to the observer to decide. This also affect whether or not you believe Betty killed her husband. Perhaps, she killed him because he found out about the affair and she wanted to be with Gilbert and saw killing Ken as her way to do so. Another theory is that Ken knew about the affair but, did not care because all he wished was to make his family happy. This is reinforced when Betty burns the cookies after Gilbert walks out on her. Ken makes the children eat the cookies anyways, and tries to get them to play and be happy, along with their mother. These attempts are unsuccessful, and later that night he is found dead. It is unsure whether or not Betty murdered her husband or not, though either way she most likely played a role in his