Calvin's family attends a wedding, and in the rush to leave, Calvin leaves Hobbes behind. After complaining about being separated from his best friend for most of the trip, Calvin is relieved to return home, only to find that the house was robbed while they were gone.
Tropes
- Comedic Work, Serious Scene: Several of the strips during this arc don't even have a real punchline or are even attempting to be funny, as the family has to deal with the repercussions and fallout of the robbery in a realistic and serious way. The end of the arc is mostly about Calvin's parents trying to figure out how to mentally get past the trauma of the event.
- Description Cut: While cleaning up the broken glass and covering up the smashed window, the parents bring up how they don't feel safe at all, and Calvin's dad mentions that the whole situation must be really scary for a kid like Calvin. The strip then cuts to Calvin in bed, excitedly talking to Hobbes about how he can't wait to tell his classmates that his house was robbed.
- Downer Ending: The arc ends with Calvin in a bad mood over their television being stolen and left with nothing to watch.
- Funny Background Event: During the actual wedding, the focus of the strip is on Calvin thinking about Hobbes left at home alone and hoping he's okay. However, in the background, you can see that Calvin's dad is every bit as bored and uninterested in the wedding as Calvin is, yawning and checking his watch, and Calvin's mom is not happy about it.
- Halfway Plot Switch: The first part of the arc is about the family going to attend a wedding and Calvin forgetting to take Hobbes with him. But most of the arc happens after the family returns home and finds out that their house was broken into while they were gone.
- Late to the Realization: After finding Hobbes, Calvin is excited that their house was robbed. But the next day, when Calvin mentions he wants to watch something on TV, his mom reminds him that their television was stolen, and Calvin becomes grumpy among realizing he can't watch any TV at the moment.
