Like most mothers, Laurie's mom wants to believe that her son is honest and trusting, and up until this time, she has no reason to believe otherwise. But Laurie suddenly changes, and although his mother notices some of the more obvious alterations in her son's character, she fails to observe others. Laurie's rebelliousness leads to the creation of a new identity and a new name--the much more masculine, Charles--that the mother fails to see until his teacher breaks the news. Whether Laurie/Charles shows signs of a split personality or other social disorder is uncertain, but there is little doubt that the mother is surprised to hear the news that the two boys are one and the same. She is both innocent and naive as well as highly unaware of how serious the changes in her son have become. Laurie's "insane" laughter and insolent behavior directed at the father in his own home should be a clue that the little boy's change is not typical of growing pains.
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