Mr. Graves/Relationships
Family
Mrs. Graves
The Graves parents seem to have a very close and content relationship. They have a stable, social and sexually active life in a large house together. On the surface they appear to be a good couple.
However, beneath the surface they mirror a lot of the negative codependency their children have. Mr. Graves is a submissive pushover who goes along with what his wife tells him, this submissiveness seems to extend to the bedroom considering the rope marks on Mr. Graves arms. Furthermore it is even shown in Ashley’s dream that, while her mothers soul is dark, Mr. Graves actually has a regular soul. This mirrors Andy and Ashley very well.
Still, Mr. and Mrs, Graves absolutely love each other. The only time Mr. Graves actually tries to stand up to their children is for his wife, and Mrs. Graves will scream out at Ashley if she cuts Mr. Graves despite Ashley warning she will get shot if she screams. They’re arguably as close and codependent as the Graves siblings.
Andrew Graves
Andrew and his father wouldn’t be described as close, but we have seen in flashbacks Mr. Graves at least tried to talk to and have a relationship with his son. Unfortunately he was often clueless as to what to say to Andrew and easily stressed, even admitting to a young Andrew he was thinking of ending his life by jumping from their balcony after losing his job.
It should be noted that a lot of Andrews personality seems to be similar or even a result of their father. Andrew also is introverted, easily ordered around, and has suicidal tendencies. Andrew even realizes this and get frustrated. It’s likely Mr. Graves negative traits were learned by Andrew during his upbringing.
Ashley Graves
Little is shown about Ashley’s relationship with Mr. Graves in comparison to Andrew and Mrs. Graves. Ashley doesn’t seem to hold any real affection towards him but doesn’t have the same anger and resentment she holds for their mother. It’s possible she sees him as a pushover following their mother like Andrew with herself. Ashley has no flashbacks with Mr. Graves which may imply he simply avoided her during her upbringing.
