The counselor informs James that his parents are coming to visit him and he should get ready to give them a warm welcoming. James does the complete opposite, because he does not hug his parents back when they come to hug him. James and his parents were to tell the counselor all details of James's childhood and all the legal troubles his been through with law enforcement. Another counselor, Joanne, asks James questions about his plans going forward, whether or not he will see Lilly later on and what he felt when he saw his parents. James tells her that he felt angry that they came to visit him.
Later on in the day, James goes to see Lilly. They were about to have sex when James admits that he has never had sex when sober, and Lilly tells James that she will not hurt him. Lilly begins to tell James a little about her past, when her mother sold her into prostitution in order to have money to buy drugs. Lilly tells James that she ran away to her grandmother four years into prostitution and was constantly used by guys for sex at school. She then recalls a terrible event that she does not speak about and begins to weep loudly, as James hold her in his arms. That image right there, where James is holding Lilly in his arms as she cries is a major indication that James actually cares about Lilly and it has been a long time since he has truly loved a girl. When James is holding Lilly in his arms, it is the first time that he is trying to make her feel better and console her instead of it being the other way around. It is very significant because James has the awareness to react to a situation that he is in positively, because he feels affectionate towards Lilly. It further symbolizes a change in James's character because it is not about him anymore, but also the people he truly cares about. All cuddled up in James's arms, Lilly lets out her inner emotions and memories that she had suppressed for a long time, and she too now has someone that will comfort her.
Imagery and Symbolism