As he begins to acclimate to being a bug, Gregor gets to be too big for his room. His mother and sister, in an attempt to help, decide to move his furniture to enable him to move around comfortably. But when they begin, his mother wonders aloud whether this action might not have the intended effect — rather, it might make him feel abandoned. What is it about Gregor’s mother’s voice that brings Gregor “back” to his human self? How much do the relationships and comforts of your childhood define your sense of belonging and connection? How does this relate to Mr. Khullar’s point about connection and well-being?

Which sentence from the text best develops the theme about the importance of compassion for other people? "besides, he was the only person in the whole place with skin nearly as dark as hers." "at first she wanted to intern at her dad's gas station, but her teacher told her she needed to branch out and signed michelle up at the oakcourt nursing home, only 15 minutes away from her house." "still, michelle had been curious, and she felt sorry that erkan had a bad reputation among the staff." "she too had felt like everyone mistrusted her--especially at the nursing home where she was so much younger than the rest of the staff--so she understood how he must feel."