A List of Cages

There are a number of characters in Roe's novel that portray a lack of compassion for others. Some of them are employed by Julian and Adam's school. Miss West, Julian's Physical Science teacher, is a clear example of one of these characters. She calls out Julian's poor test score in front of the entire class, and tells him his score is "pitiful" (41). Then she turns to Kristin (who has been cruel to Julian), and asks her how it's possible for anyone to make such a low score. Even after Julian approaches Miss West showing genuine concern for her, she still shows him no compassion. She also shows no compassion to a student in her class with cerebral palsy. Miss West tells the student to just sit in her wheelchair, instead of transferring to a desk like the other students.

The school nurse is another example of a compassionless person. Although Adam hurts his foot, and he later has to be on crutches for this injury, the school nurse shows no sensitivity to Adam as he comes into the infirmary. When Adam asks to sit down in a nearby wheelchair since he has to hobble on one foot, the nurse tells him the wheelchair is "'for someone who is seriously ill.