Anvilicious: There's an expository radio report about juvenile delinquency and how it's a problem that needs to be dealt with harshly.
Designated Hero: Ben, and this is even lampshaded by Mike, because Ben is not very heroic, not in any way. Actually, his near-constant antagonism of Mike (even though he's right to be angry) nearly gets his mother and everyone else killed. It's actually Terry's cooler head that prevents things from getting worse for the family. The only vaguely heroic thing he does is chasing and punching Mike in the face after getting shot on the shoulder (which is quite a feat, considering).
Glurge: Don't neglect your kids or they'll be on the wrong side of the law! Never forget!
This could also be read into the filmmakers' writing, as Terry especially rejects the Bible reading of the farm couple. Mike does so, to a lesser extent.
Ho Yay: Mike's fixation on Ben's big war hero muscles occasionally veers into this.
Jerkass Woobie: Terry is certainly not a very nice person, but then you have moments like her crying to herself and learning about her childhood where she claims her elder sisters treated her like a scullery maid, and that her parents were significantly older when she was born.note Not an unusual occurrence in large families of the time, where the eldest child could be as much as 20 years older than their youngest sibling It's suggested that many of her actions is misdirected anger combined with Mike's Toxic Friend Influence.
