The one who left, or the one who was cast out. When the Prodigal returns for a wedding, funeral, or bankruptcy, the equilibrium shatters. This character forces the family to ask, "Did we drive them away, or were they always broken?" Think of Tom Cruise’s character in Magnolia , or the returning siblings in August: Osage County .
Money scarcity, or the secret loss of wealth, is a pressure cooker. When a family discovers that the cushioned lifestyle was built on fraud, gambling, or a loan from the wrong people, the veneer of civility evaporates. Incest -316-