I've had to sit and process this chapter for a bit before responding, it was so much of a reminder of where this story began to where we are now, and the work yet to be done...that and the desperate hunt for another box of Kleenex...
When looking at this still forming tapestry, @Paladin truly hit an underlying theme, that it isn't simply a story of the abused, broken boys...it is so much more than that. It includes folks of all shapes and sizes who are also broken. Every one of them brought together in some fashion or form, as the case of Thomas Cicero exponentially exploded into something so much larger and sinister. Yet in their shared humanity they find within themselves a path to healing, reconciliation, acceptance, hope, and yes...love.
A candle has been lit in the darkness, wither will it go or light a thousand other candles?