None of the characters in the book is able to come up with an answer, exactly, but it becomes the central issue. The one thing the book does resolve is that you have to see evil. You have to know it's there. Otherwise, it'll get you when you aren't looking. It is at times of great pain that people are at their truest.
People are so much themselves then that it's especially touching.
Barbara's life does get better in the end. Although it was difficult, I tried to create situations that would show her thinking more optimistically and moving toward health and an integration of the personalities. There is a section when she marvels at her grandson, Jason, and his ability to stay alive. Although she is not able to go upstairs to participate in church service yet, she is able to work in the nursery in the basement of the church. Copies of The Devil's Child are available from the University Bookstore.