Not only does Foer reveal the struggles Oskar experiences when coming to terms with the loss of his father, the readers also gains night into the entire Schell family's various trauma-related troubles. For the most part, Oskar's mother has come to terms with the death of her husband. While she is moving on with her life and beginning a new relationship, she must deal with a child who is emotionally unstable at the same time. She constantly has to worry about his well being, without suffocating Oskar and letting him grow through the traumatic event. Alongside this story, the reader gains insight into the past of Oskar's grandmother and grandfather. Both of them lost a loved one, the same loved one, during the bombing of Dresden in WWII. We see that Thomas chooses to remain in the past, living in silence, refusing to embrace the positivity of the future for fear of losing the happiness he once had. However, Oscar's grandmother chose to push through her loss and start a new family, with or without Thomas. Essentially, Oscar's grandparents represent the two paths in which one can take when dealing with traumatic events.