Richie

"Briefly, for a moment, the boy changes shape. briefly he glows, dead white. Laura remains not angry. She remembers to smile. She keeps both hands on the wheel." (193)

Richie is what keeps Laura from going crazy and fleeing. She keeps both hands on the wheel because she is prompted to continue driving carefully through life by her son. He is always watching her like a guardian angel. His dead white glow symbolizes him sustaining life. This white contrasts with the shadow of death that haunts Victoria and tempts Laura.