Brotherhood and Romantic Love in Life Is Strange 2

Life Is Strange 2 is not an easy game. It is not just a game, to begin with. It is an immersive, life-changing tale, guaranteed to leave you with a broken heart. It tells the powerful, emotional story of two brothers, Sean and Daniel Diaz, 16 and 9 years old respectively, who are forced to leave their home in Seattle after a tragic incident and begin a journey to reach the homeland of their father in Mexico while being chased by the police. In their journey, they will meet dangerous people but they will also make great friends; they will get separated, then be reunited again, until they finally reach the Mexican border where, depending on your choices throughout the whole game, the ending will be different. Just like in the first Life Is Strange game, here too it is the player's choices that matter, but this system is far more elaborate and complex in Life Is Strange 2. The supernatural element, ever present in the Life Is Strange games, is in this case Daniel's telekinesis, a secret weapon that, depending on its use, can prove to be a blessing or a curse.

The game is split in five chapters (Roads, Rules, Wastelands, Faith, Wolves), with each one focusing on a specific aspect of the main story, and we play as Sean, the older brother. Roads introduces the two brothers who live a happy life with Esteban, their Mexican father, in Seattle until the latter is accidentally shot dead by a rookie officer during a scuffle. Daniel's telekinesis is triggered due to the shock that he suffered seeing his father killed in front of his eyes and he unintentionally causes a havoc, killing the officer. Fearing that the two of them will be considered suspects and that they will get separated, Sean takes his little brother and they leave in a haste. Having nowhere else to go, they agree to escape to Mexico and get to Puerto Lobos, their father's homeland.

In Rules, the two brothers have found refuge in a cabin in the woods of Oregon where Sean trains Daniel to use his power properly, get better with it and not waste it. But it is winter already; Daniel is sick and they are still chased by the police, so they hit the road again and find shelter in the home of their mother's parents. It is there that we learn a bit more about their mother and how she abandoned her family when Sean was 8 years old and Daniel just a new-born baby. Daniel becomes good friends with Chris, a boy who lives next door with his father, with whom he seems to have a lot in common. Soon though the police manages to track the brothers down, so they leave that place too and hop on a train heading to California.

In Wastelands, Sean and Daniel are in California already, with a group of young drifters who work at a pot farm. Despite the rather unusual circumstances, the two brothers have a good time there, although Daniel starts becoming arrogant with his power which never stops getting more impressive each day that passes. A dramatic incident at the end of the episode results in Sean getting severely hit and Daniel being rescued by Jacob, one of the drifters, who takes him to the cult where he once belonged.

In Faith, Sean is in hospital after the incident of the previous chapter, having lost his right eye, bound to be taken to Juvenile Court and having no idea where his brother is. However, he finds a note from Jacob, informing him of Daniel's whereabouts. Sean escapes from the hospital and after a painful journey he reaches Haven Point in Nevada, the place where Daniel is, living with Lisbeth Fischer, a power-obsessed reverend who uses religion for personal gain and has brainwashed Daniel into believing that his power is a gift from God, resulting in him denying to follow his brother. Just then, Sean's estranged mother, Karen, arrives, offering Sean the moral support that he needs in order to make Daniel see clearly, and the two brothers are finally reunited.

In Wolves, Sean and Daniel are happy together in Arizona, in a place lost in the desert where their mother, along with several other people, has chosen to live an independent and free life, away from the world. Soon though the time comes for the brothers to leave, as the police is breathing down their neck, and they drive through the desert until they reach the Mexican border. Due to an unexpected sequence of events, they end up in jail but Daniel uses his power to free himself and his brother and they reach the exit to Mexico, only to be stopped by the police. This is where you see your choices throughout all episodes paying off or not, as the game offers four different endings (with a few more variations), depending on the sum of your decisions and on how Sean's attitude affected Daniel's social education and morality.

In this article, I will focus on Wastelands, the third chapter of the game, which is impeccable in its development and the most pivotal one. In this episode, the relationship between the two brothers becomes more defined while Sean, being the older one, has the chance to find love, choosing between two potential lovers - a girl and a boy. Both brotherly love and romantic love are thoroughly explored in this episode, and it is interesting to see how, when it comes to romantic love, one choice of partner may be way more canon than the other, affecting the main story and its outcome in direct connection to brotherly love. Remember how in the first Life Is Strange Max has the chance to kiss Chloe or Warren - or both? Still, near the end of the game, it is always her and Chloe at the top of the hill, which means that Chloe is Max's canon choice no matter what. Something similar happens in Life Is Strange 2, although it is not as clear or direct, because the game itself is far more complex.

In Wastelands, the two brothers are in California, members of a company of young drifters who move from place to place living on the road and occasionally taking on temporary - and often illegal - jobs that offer them just enough money to keep going. The main core of the group consists of four people: Finn, a charming young man, Cassidy, an errant singer, Hannah, a tormented soul who seems rather hard, and Penny, a weird guy who believes in conspiracy theories and is desperately looking for Jinx, his friend and, possibly, lover. Sean and Daniel have already met Finn and Cassidy near the end of Rules, and when Wastelands begins we find the two brothers in a beautiful forest, having their own tent in a makeshift campsite along with the four aforementioned friends and a few other companions: Jacob, a lonely young man who has escaped from a cult, and a Swedish couple, Ingrid and Anders, who are obviously on an organized road trip around the globe. All of them are working at an illegal pot farm that belongs to Jonathan Merrill, a seemingly decent boss but in fact a ruthless man who runs the place with the help of his creepy goon, Big Joe.

The whole third episode focuses on how the relationship between Sean and Daniel changes due to them now living together with other people. The fact that most of those people are around Sean's age doesn't help keep the little one at ease, as he feels that his brother spends more time with his new friends than with him. The episode reaches its climax when something goes wrong because of Daniel, resulting in Merrill firing the two brothers. Subsequently, Finn, Cassidy and Jacob become witnesses of Daniel's power and Finn conceives a plan to break into Merrill's house, use Daniel's power to smash open his safe, grab all his money and go. At this point, you have the chance to decide whether you will follow Finn and be in for the heist, or refuse, in which case Daniel will be the one to ask Finn to go for it with him. In this episode, you also have the chance to decide between two love interests for Sean - Cassidy and Finn; a side-plot which, depending on your choice, may get tightly connected to the core story of the heist in Merrill's place and have long-term consequences on the development of the plot.

Finn and Cassidy look like twin siblings, with their crazy decorated dreadlocks, their ear tunnels and their hippie appearance, but in fact they are not related. They have been on the road for quite some time, and have become good friends. The game makes it clear that there is nothing romantic involved between them, obviously never was; they are like brother and sister, sharing a similar style. As it turns out later, however, this semblance is limited to looks only. After we get to know them better in Wastelands, we come to realize that they have almost nothing in common. Their way of thinking is different, their character is different, their dreams and ambitions are like night and day. But when Sean first crosses paths with them in Rules, he practically sees two sides of the same coin before him. He is not able to tell much about their character, and his first impression is based on what he sees. He essentially has a first contact with a world that had been unknown to him up to then. He is obviously attracted to that world as an idea, and this is something that the game smartly brings to the foreground by having him meeting simultaneously a girl and a boy that could be manifestations of the same person.

As the game proceeds in Wastelands, we find out that Cassidy, despite her wild looks, is a very mainstream and low-profile character, with a rather strict morality concerning social behavior. This comes to contrast with her overall style which she might have adopted in her early years of wandering with Finn, in an attempt to imitate his laid-back, hippie look and try to be more like him. She avoids getting into trouble, maybe tries a bit too hard to look cool. As outrageous as she may seem on first look, she is rather predictable and toned down as a character; somehow not strong enough to dramatically affect the plot. Finn is the exact opposite; he is multi-dimensional, a charismatic person with a captivating aura, and his character is so powerful and imposing that his obvious connection and strong chemistry with Sean is extremely complex and intriguing as far as the development of the plot is concerned. Besides, it is his plan that pushes the story forward, offering the necessary dramatic turn that it needs so as to move to a new level.

Cassidy seems rather rough when it comes to sexual attraction and what comes after, which stresses the fact that she tries a bit too much to show she is a rebel. She is quite raw compared to Finn and marginally predatory - surely with no bad intent, but it is as if she somehow cannot see very clearly what kind of person she is dealing with. If you take the time to talk to her before the heist, and pick certain choices of words, you may notice that she tends to label people, albeit subconsciously to a degree, and seeing how she likes to keep things as simple as possible, people around her are either "friends" or "lovers". She clearly sees Finn exclusively as a friend, for instance, and she would never cross the line with him, as this would make things way too complicated in her mindset. It is equally clear that she sees Sean as a possible lover from the start, something that is hinted to several times throughout Wastelands, but is miraculously completely eliminated if Sean confesses to her that he likes Finn and that they kissed. Immediately then Sean moves to her friend zone once and for all, and she is neither heartbroken nor sad, exactly because she wants to keep things clear and straight; and as soon as she makes sure that she has absolutely no chance with Sean, she "stores" him as a friend and everything becomes simple again.

Cassidy is an earthly person, and as such, she tends to keep everything clear-cut and within her control. This becomes even more stressed if we consider her overall attitude: she is obviously a talented singer, but prefers to play in secluded suburban markets and work in pot farms than possibly chase a career in music or whatever would be that could make her life better. This of course would require lots of personal effort that she does not seem disposed to make.

Finn, on the other hand, is very careful with words, subtly giving Sean hints that he loves him more than just a friend. It helps a lot that Sean obviously likes him and enjoys his company, feels happy and relaxed when they are together and he may even go as far as show him absolute trust. Finn comes from a dysfunctional family and has grown up in an environment where theft and deceit were on the everyday menu. It is not weird nor random that he is the one who conceives the heist plan, because he was "educated" that way, thanks to his criminal father. So, taking into consideration the story's facts, he is not to blame for his idea, because this is exactly where we all (we, the players, but also most importantly Sean and Daniel), see in practice how a bad education can influence a young person. Daniel's morality will not be affected if Sean agrees to do the heist; in fact, the outcome of the plan is a painful but valuable life lesson for both Sean and Finn and, on a different and deeper level, for Daniel as well.

Finn is a socially gifted young man despite his hardships and misfortunes, able to charm people around him. He can read people and understand them, even play them if he has to. From the moment when he first sees Sean in Rules, he knows how to treat him; which is why, by the start of Wastelands, we can see that the two of them have grown quite close, and that they feel genuine love and respect for each other. Unlike Cassidy, Finn does not rush things; he gradually enchants Sean but leaves him room to breathe and is patient and gentle in his approach. If Sean agrees to go for the heist, Finn will take it as an unofficial oath of trust and confess to Sean that he is attracted to him. At this point, you are given a unique chance to chose Finn as Sean's love interest. Doing so may seem random, but in fact it can potentially play a major role in the subsequent course of events. Whereas if you choose Cassidy as Sean's love interest, this will not only keep him away from the main action, but it will also put his fragile relationship with Daniel at great risk. Not to mention that Finn, unlike Cassidy, will get heartbroken if his love is rejected.

If Sean refuses to take part in the heist, this decision will somehow shift his character to a different path which comes to contrast with his choices so far. His initial decision to take Daniel and hit the road was what made him and his brother illegal outcasts. The way that the game is planned out constantly brings this forward, and it is not random because what Sean did at the beginning was to take complete control over Daniel's life without his little brother's consent. There are plenty of situations throughout the story when we see Sean trying to make up for this; sometimes he succeeds, sometimes he fails. As Daniel grows up - and much faster than normal under such extreme circumstances - he starts having a voice of his own and from a point and on it is his turn to make crucial decisions. Those may be wrong, but Sean also made a decision for both of them at the beginning which might have been wrong as well. The fact that Daniel is in for the heist no matter what Sean wants marks the critical point when Daniel takes a decision for both of them without his brother's consent. Which somehow brings us back to the start, only now the roles are reversed: now it is Daniel who takes control over his brother's life. But since Sean is in position to make conscious decisions right from the start, it is only natural for him to take one more risk at this point, so deciding to be in for the heist should only be on him.

There is one detail which may seem trivial, but in the Life Is Strange games, nothing can be considered as such. As I mentioned earlier, Cassidy is a deeply moral character when it comes to social behavior. When Finn first talks about the heist, her reaction towards him is violent and intimidating; it is like that of a mother giving her children an angry lecture about good and evil. If  later Sean accepts to do the heist and she learns about it, she gets infuriated and may go as far as to forbid Sean to contact her ever again. On the contrary, when Finn tries to persuade Sean to follow his plan after they are left alone together, his manner is soft and sweet; he does not have to resort to yelling to make his point clear. So it is Cassidy's attitude versus Finn's attitude in this case, and although Cassidy represents the good and moral path, her reaction is more likely to act like a scare-gun, succeeding in terrorizing Sean who then decides to refuse to do the heist, directly affected by Cassidy's outburst and very much less because he himself thinks it is a bad thing to do. Whereas Finn gives him time and space, treating him like an equal, like his trusted friend, offering him the chance to make the decision on his own, unaffected of exterior factors. This means that if Sean accepts to take part in the heist, it is a decision based solely on his own considerations; a decision where he puts the well-being of his little brother first, and this is something that will also keep him in good terms with Daniel which is majorly important at this point. Whether this is a good or bad decision, does not really matter now; keeping brotherhood on a high level is what counts in the story, and sometimes you have to pay a high cost for it.

So the game practically tricks you into choosing to not go for the heist believing that it is the best decision, but this will deal a severe blow to Sean's relationship with Daniel. It is worth mentioning that, in Daniel's eyes, Cassidy is an enemy; someone who will take his brother away from him. It is also notable that Daniel will always have this impression of Cassidy in the case that his brother refuses to do the heist, even if Sean remains just friends with her and does not romance her. Daniel sees Finn as a friend, an ally, one more older brother. But he views Cassidy as an intruder, someone who will influence Sean against him. This may sound strange, but in fact it is not: Daniel is very young, still in the process of shaping his personality and mindset. He adores his brother, he trusts him and feels strongly connected to him. At the beginning of the story, he is unaware of what is going on; he is gullible and naive. As soon as he realizes what happened, that it was his power that killed the officer and that Sean took the brave decision to escape with him in order to keep him safe, his world turns upside down. From that moment and on, Sean becomes a rebel and a hero in his eyes.

Daniel can relate to Finn, but he cannot feel the same for Cassidy. And it is not because she is a girl, because he does like Hannah, for instance. A child's instinct, maybe? It is obvious that Cassidy is a goodhearted person, loved by her friends, so what is it that Daniel sees that the others don't? It is not mere jealousy, because he doesn't he feel the same about Finn, with whom Sean spends a lot of time as well - apparently much more than with Cassidy, according to the doodles in his sketchbook. Daniel may be spoiled and mischievous, but he is not ungrateful. He always keeps in his mind that his brother did everything he could and more in order to protect him. Even if he picks on Sean, he loves his brother unconditionally, thinks highly of him and would do anything for his sake. Living on the margins of society together, fastened their brotherly bond even more, in a way that their normal family life back in Seattle could never achieve. So at this specific point, in Daniel's eyes, if Sean somehow manages to go back to normal life, he will lose him. It is a perception that is progressively reinforced in his mind, as he feels that his power is getting stronger, which gives him a sense of superiority, but at the same time he gets more and more dependent on Sean, both practically and emotionally, because the conditions around them become gradually more wild. It is interesting that what Daniel fears is indeed what happens in two of the possible endings of the game where both the brothers or one of them go back to normal life, as well as in the one ending where Sean decides to surrender but Daniel denies: they get separated, and in ways that vary from soothing to heart-breaking to downright tragic. Whereas if they stay on the margins, they remain united forever. The cost they pay for this is high: they have to live as criminals; but they do not care as long as they are together.

As contradictory as it may seem due to her appearance, Cassidy represents that normal life that Daniel fears. Given the circumstances, she is the most mainstream of their immediate group of friends. She is even more mainstream that Anders and Ingrid, who seem ordinary but in fact are rather unconventional, since they are a casual, everyday couple leading a way of life that comes to contrast with their looks and attitude. Cassidy is mild, cautious and law-abiding (at least, as law-abiding as her way of life permits) and - contrary to most of her companions - she moved to the margins of society out of her own free will. Hannah implies at some point while talking to her that Cassidy comes from a wealthy family to which she can probably return if things get too bad for her. Another important detail is that "Cassidy" is not even her real name (we learn in Faith that she is called Lucy Rose). It is as if her whole appearance - outfit and name included - is a persona that she chose to use to separate herself from her past and get connected to her current life. Unlike Penny, who also has a nickname but gladly shares the story behind it, Cassidy avoids to talk about her own memories. There is an interesting backstory involving her father and her brother, who reacted violently when they found out that her boyfriend was not white; she presumably left her home because of this, but obviously not intending to support her boyfriend, as she was always single for as long as Hannah or Finn knew her. Maybe this incident was just the excuse that she needed in order to get away. What if most of her other memories are just too mundane to narrate? Maybe it was all about a bored girl with artistic skills who simply wanted to live a simple life, away from her traditional bourgeois home. Does this ring any bells? Karen, Sean and Daniel's mother, was a pretty similar case - although Karen was driven more by her own inner tendency to live like a lone wolf and much less by her disdain for social dictations.

So Cassidy is not a regular outcast; she consciously chose that kind of life, unlike Finn who was rejected by society - just like Sean and Daniel were. Maybe Daniel senses this difference in ways that the others are not able to perceive. Let's not forget that Daniel has an unusual, special power; this means that all of his senses are on a higher level than those of normal people, almost always heightened. Maybe he can see things that others cannot. As he gains more control over his power, his instinct and intuition become stronger. And remember - Daniel was there when Cassidy yelled at Finn for his idea about the heist. This was definitely something that got recorded in his mind, so if Sean decides against the heist, Daniel automatically thinks that he did so because of Cassidy. If this happens, Daniel goes to Merrill's alone with Finn, and Sean arrives there soon after with Cassidy to stop them. Daniel loses it completely when he sees her, and depending on the player's choices, he may even go as far as use his power intending to murder her, and he only stops because Sean begs him to.

The first ally that Sean and Daniel meet during their journey, very early in Roads, is Brody, a journalist and urban nomad. He is not exactly an outcast, given that he has a job, enough money to keep himself going, plus a family base where he can always turn to if things get too hard for him. Still, he is a free spirit and he lives independently of the world around him, having reached a magic balance between freedom and social acceptance. There is an escalation of this pattern as Sean and Daniel proceed further from their base and closer to their goal. Finn's group in California consists of people that are a far hippier version of Brody: they not only live as outcasts, but also are outcasts.  Karen's desert community is a more elaborate variation: her group consists of people that are older, definitely conscious of their decision to live away from civilization, and far more organized. They are not drifters, but they live in the isolated desert of Arizona, being their own boss. Could Finn's group evolve into a community similar to Karen's in an ideal future? It is not so hard to tell; given the developments that followed the heist, it is more likely that they would move on their separate ways later anyway.

Most of the members in Finn's group have probably committed minor crimes during their wanderings (trivial thefts, for that matter), but the one with the most impressive CV is Finn himself: he was part of his father's gang that stole, stripped and sold cars, an illegal activity that eventually cost him and his brothers their freedom. It is worth noting, however, that while Finn is obviously the most blatant outlaw of his Californian group, he also is the most complex character, the one with intellectual interests (a copy of Lord of the Flies can be seen in his tent, and there is a graffiti, obviously made by him, judging from the style, that reads Bonjour Tristess (sic) on a tree trunk, just beside Sean and Daniel's tent) and personal ambitions that go beyond life on the road. Cassidy likes that kind of living and does not seek anything else; Hannah and Penny carry along their dismay and pessimism, Jacob is too confused to think about possible future plans, Ingrid and Anders on the other hand simply see the job at the pot farm as something temporary, something that will pass so that they can eventually continue their organized journey.

Finn is not afraid to take risks, no matter how daring they may be, and this is exactly why, emotionally and spiritually, he connects to the Diaz brothers, and foremost to Sean. For what it's worth, Sean and Daniel's journey began when Sean himself took a great risk. It was a painful coming-of-age journey that pushed them headlong into the wild ride of life together. Finn is of that same kind. This is how Daniel sees it, and this is how his bond with Sean is guaranteed to remain strong. Finn's presence remains in the game in various forms after Wastelands - a photo, a sketch, a note, a letter, a mention in a dream, a token, a bracelet, a spoken word, appear as reminders of the major role that he played in Sean's life. He is even there at the hospital in Faith where, depending on your choice of words, he and Sean can have a heartfelt and strongly emotional conversation. Arthur and Stanley, the middle-aged couple from Karen's desert camp, are a confirmation, in Sean's eyes, that love knows no rules and no limits. In Wolves, we can also see a huge drawing made by Daniel, which depicts Chris, his friend from Oregon. Daniel subconsciously sees Finn as an older version of Chris. In his mindset, Chris is his own Finn, and Finn is Sean's Chris. There is an analogy that is not at all random at this point.

Daniel values brotherhood very much - not only in the literal sense of his bond with his brother, but also in the wider sense of connections between friends. Notably the most crucial instances where he uses his power to affect the course of events are related to this kind of bonds: the first time, it is after he sees his father getting killed; at that point, he is not yet conscious of his power and he is not able to prevent the upcoming tragedy but his reaction is to kill the rookie officer who caused it, albeit without controlling it. Daniel felt his father as his best friend, as he confesses at some point in Wastelands, therefore sentimentally he was connected to him with bonds of brotherhood as well, besides their father-son relationship. The second time is when he stops a police car from hitting Chris. The third is when he violently attacks Merrill to stop him from killing Finn. The fourth time is when he does the same to Nicholas, Lisbeth's thug, in order to save Sean from getting shot. In the most compelling finale, he uses his power to eliminate everything and everyone in his way, while forming a protective shield around Sean so that they can both safely cross the border as swarms of bullets fly around them. For Daniel, his blood link with his Sean is sacred, and equally sacred is his bond with Chris and Finn, whom he values as brothers of his heart. So if he senses that Sean values Finn the same way, his own perception of brotherhood is reinforced, and subsequently his bond with Sean becomes unbreakable. This is intensified even more if Sean urges him to use his power to stop Merrill from shooting Finn; Daniel will immediately do so even if Sean had prevented him from resorting to his power at any cost in the past.

Finn seems to be the canon match for Sean because he is able to connect with him on all levels, help strengthen his bond with Daniel, and be not only his lover and friend, but also his soul mate. There is subtle evidence for this in Rules, if you want to trace the game's semiological map - which, by the way, is extremely rich. Early on when Sean and Daniel are still hiding in their grandparents' home, there are several interesting things to see and comment on, among which an aquarium with a tropical fish in it. The fish is trapped behind a log, so Sean can ask Daniel to lift the obstacle with his power. As soon as Daniel does so, the fish swims freely in the water. When Sean sees it, he comments that "he is beautiful". The fish has a deep blue body and orange fins. Minutes later, Daniel looks at the aquarium and says that Sean scared the fish back into its cave, and Sean replies that he will see it one day or another. The following day, Sean meets Finn for the first time in the market. Finn is a redhead with blue eyes, sharing the same colors with the goldfish - and in this allegorical context, the Finn / fin pun could not only be considered intentional, but also pretty much canon. Subsequently in Wastelands, there is an instance when Daniel tells Sean that Finn wants to show him a secret cave on the other side of the lake where they are camping, and Sean replies to count him in as well (click here to watch the respective scenes). On a metaphorical level, Finn's "secret cave" may stand for his secret feelings for Sean that he is hesitant to show directly because he is not sure how Sean will react. He throws hints every now and then, calling Sean "honey", "sweetheart", "sweetie", "my little Sean", along with showing signs of affection, like offering a hug or a tender touch, but without crossing any boundaries, until he is assured that he can make the next step. All these facts, in connection with Sean's cryptic answer when his grandmother asks him about his love life in Rules, are progressively foreshadowing his canon romantic choice in Wastelands.

Sean and Finn lived different kinds of lives, but when they crossed paths, their destinies intertwined. They both reached a point of no return when they took a big risk: Sean when he escaped with Daniel after their father was killed, and Finn when he conceived the heist plan after Merrill fired the brothers. As I mentioned earlier, Finn is a complex character. He may have gotten greedy thinking how he could get hold of all that cash from Merrill's safe - which is only natural, given the circumstances and his past - but his motive for the heist had always been to help Sean and Daniel. Even before he confesses to Sean how he feels about him, he tells him that he wants the brothers to stay with the group, in a genuinely caring and protective manner. How Finn sees it, is that stealing the money may make everyone's life's easier and take a much desired revenge on Merrill, but mainly it will guarantee that Sean and Daniel will not leave. Simply put, doing the heist is a desperate last-minute plan to keep Sean and Daniel there with him; because the brothers were about to hit the road first thing the following morning.

Finn is the only one whose mind leaps further, therefore the only one who can actually help Sean and Daniel make their own (literal and metaphorical) leap of faith. There is also one very important element that Sean and Finn have in common, regarding their family background - their connection with cars. Sean's father was a mechanic and he repaired cars. Finn's father would steal cars, rip them apart and sell their parts. On a symbolic level, this may stand for how Sean's father managed to keep his family together despite the absence of the mother, and how Finn's father literally destroyed his family by sending his sons to jail. But on a metaphysical level, it could mean that Sean's meeting with Finn was karmic; it was written in the stars to happen, one way or the other.