Who Loved Children showcases a wild and hungry family throng struggling to keep their heads above water. McCourt's relatives read like fictitious characters themselves - the bossy grandmother, the frustrated aunt, the loopy uncle and Pa Keating as laconic as Uncle Harry from The Sullivans. Role models they aren't, although McCourt manages to draw some good from those around him, even the father who drinks their lives away. Malachy senior introduces fantasy with treasured stories of Cuchulain and the angel on the seventh step. This is played out when McCourt avoids being seen by his mother as she begs in the street.
Hierarchies exist even in poverty.
McCourt's literary leanings and quest for knowledge are surely drawn from the father who reads widely and is known for his writing skills. Moments of encouragement are rare and likely to evoke rare tears. McCourt the adolescent repays these kindnesses as the compassionate telegram boy. Hope for a better life keeps McCourt afloat and America is the carrot. Although life in Brooklyn has served the family no better than life in Limerick, America promises salvation, at first as a fantasy land and later as a serious destination.