[zonerboy]

Yes, it was rather strange.
I was trying to figure out a moral for the story.
For the adult characters it seemed to be this: you can tolerate just about any kind of misery if you have enough booze.
The child's message: we all have wild beasts in our lives. If we try to run away, they keep chasing us. But if we are brave and confront them, then they shrink away.