I think that is unusual how Asher’s parents make him aware of everything that is going on in the world, and all of their personal problems. They make no attempt to shelter him from the evils of the world; in fact, they make a point of telling him their troubles. Most parents try not to concern their children with adult matters, because at a young age, many children cannot deal with adult issues. Normally, children learn about the bad things in life one by one, so that it is easier to handle the shock of realizing that the world can be very harsh. Asher’s parents make him aware of worldly issues, so he can’t see the world as “a pretty place”, the way his mother wants him to see it. Not only his parents, but also the people of his community, such as the authorities at his school, Yudel Krinsky, and his uncle Yitzchok expose him to the world. His mother contradicts herself, because she exposes Asher to the evils of the world and allows other people to, yet she expects him to view the world as a pretty place. Maybe they are showing Asher how evil the world outside the Ladover area can be so that Asher will stay a Hasidic Jew all his life, thinking that the other Hasids will protect him. Drawing is an outlet for Asher, because it helps him to express his feelings. But when he realizes how difficult his parents’ lives actually are, and that his drawing just adds to their list of problems, he decides that he will stop drawing if it means that his parents will have one less problem.