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 When one discusses and analyses different literary work one can choose from many different aspects and perspectives. In this analysis I will concentrate on three different aspects of setting in the book, and how they are related to, and important for, the overall theme of the book. The aspect of the theme that I will be focusing on is that of the primitive vs. the civilised, where Ben is seen as the primitive and the rest of the family is seen as the civilised. I will also connect three aspects of setting in the book to this theme, and show their significance and importance for the theme. These three aspects will be: moral, time, and social-class setting. I will also exemplify these aspects with quotations from the text, and in the end sum it all up in a conclusion.
The first aspect that I will discuss, is the moral setting of the book. Harriet's moral values are quite different from the rest of the family's. When Ben is growing up, everybody except Harriet think that it is quite all right to send him away. Harriet does not agree with them since her sense of moral tells her that this is not the right thing to do. Even her husband finds this fully acceptable because Ben is not like them. And since he is not "one of them" they can treat him differently. On page 90 we can read: "- It's either him or us, said David to Harriet". And a little further down the page: "-He's a little child, she said, He's our child. -No he's not said David, finally. Well he certainly isn't mine." This I think clearly illustrates the very different moral values that the family has, and even more important, it illustrates the difference in moral between Ben's mother and father. David is clearly keeping a distance to Ben and finds it very hard to accept him. Harriet, on the other hand, tries to get Ben adjusted into the family even though she does not like him a lot.

Secondly I would like to discuss the aspect of time. What significance does the time period have for the theme? In order to answer this one can raise the question: Would Ben have been seen as different had he been born a long time ago? I would say probably not. The family considers him strange compared to how most people act and behave in today's society. And if that is the right way to do it, Ben is by all means strange. But had he been born a long time ago maybe he would not have been seen as strange at all. This is also the viewpoint that the family adopts. We get support for this on page 65 where we can read: "-Neanderthal baby, said Harriet". And on Page 79 Harriet's mother Dorothy says: "-He may be normal for what he is. But he is not normal for what we are." The reason why I find this aspect important for theme of the book is because the family's action is based on these opinions. Ben is not like them and therefore they can send him away.

The third and last aspect of setting that I will deal with, is the aspect of social-class belonging. The Lovatt's belong to the middle-class. They are not at all wealthy but live a good life by monetary measures. David's father James helps them a great deal since he has quite a lot of money. The importance of class belonging is quite significant when they are about to send Ben away to the institution. On page 88 Harriet says: "-You mean, we have to find one of those places that exist in order to take on children families simply want to get rid of? -Rich families, said Angela, with a defiant little sniff" This paragraph is not significant only as an example of the options that a middle-class family has, but it is also an example of the first support given to Harriet. Angela is the first, except Harriet, that reacts to the fact that everybody else just wants to send Ben away. What would have happened to Ben if he had been born into a family with poor working-class parents? One thing is certain, they would not have had the possibility, that the Lovatt's had, to send him away, which proves that social-class is indeed an important aspect to take into consideration.

The primitive vs. the civilised. It feels quite obvious when you read the book. The struggle the family experiences when confronted with something different. There are many aspects that are of interest in this book. But what I have discussed are the three aspects I believe have the strongest influence on how things turn out. The book is focused on these three aspects.

 Moral - The struggle between moral values within the family. What is the right thing to do? Can they send Ben away just because he doesn't fit in?

 Time - What we consider normal in today's society. The importance of fitting in. You are supposed to act and behave in a certain way, and people who do not comply with these norms are considered as different. In a very negative way.

 Social-class - David's father is quite wealthy and he helps the Lovatt's a great deal with money. This also means that the family has the possibility to send Ben away, an option that would not be available for a poor family.

These aspects of setting are all linked and connected to each other and they are all connected to the overall theme. The primitive vs. the civilised. But who is the primitive?
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