Brent was closest to Blake. It was his brother. Brent and Blake grew up together. They have memories of their childhood together and things to look back on. Brent remembers that Blake was curious and accidentally fired a gun. Fortunately, the gun recoiled and drove the hammer into the canvas between the thumb and forefinger. This accident left a scar between these two fingers. But when Blake became a drug dealer, he abandoned his brother before he died. Brent became heartless to the point where, “I told myself to feel, to feel. I had already mourned Blake and buried him…I skipped the funeral” (Staples,408). Brent probably knew his brother more than anyone. Brent throws away all the memories they shared because Blake was a drug dealer. I understand that Blake ignored his brother's warnings and that frustrated him, but that's not a valid excuse for not attending your own brother's funeral. What broke that bond was the fact that his brother was a drug dealer and his closest family member needed to give up his