Stand by me is a coming-of-age story about four friends who go on a journey to find a dead body outside their town in hopes of becoming heroes. During their journey, we will discover the personalities of these four characters as the story progresses and we will learn about their development as children through adolescence. Although the story focuses on the four characters, Gordie is the main focus as he is the one narrating his experience with his childhood friends. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Over the course of the film, we are given glimpses into the lives of the four characters. Chris Chambers is the leader of the group and Gordie's best friend. Although Chris is kind and compassionate, he comes from a bad family. In the film it is indicated several times that Chris's family was evil and everyone in town expects Chris to become evil. According to a report prepared by the Department of Health, there are four types of child maltreatment: physical abuse, child neglect, emotional abuse and sexual abuse. Chris falls into the physical and emotional abuse category as he and his older brother Richard are abused by their father and while Chris may not have turned out to be bad, his older brother Richard hangs out with a gang of delinquents and runs around vandalizing the town. This act of rebellion that Richard shows is a way to release all the anger and hatred built up inside him due to his abuse. An example of this is a scene where Richard and his friends bully Chris and Gordie by taking Gordie's hat that his brother gave him and allowing his friend to pin Chris to the ground while holding a cigarette near his eye. This type of behavior derives from the environment in which Richard grew up and which manifests itself in his delinquencies. Another character exposed to an abusive family is Teddy Duchamp. It is implied in the film that Teddy's father was in the army. This doesn't go well, however, because Teddy's dad is a supposed alcoholic and a madman who burned Teddy's ear in a fit of rage. This reminds me of the topic explored in the textbook that talks about the context of abuse. There is no single factor that causes child maltreatment, a combination of factors such as substance abuse, stress, socioeconomic status and social isolation come into play. In Teddy's case, his father may be struggling with the stress of being in the military and using alcohol as a means of escape, however this makes him angry and abusive towards his son and this rubs off on Teddy as he is ready angry, impulsive and generally acts in a way that makes you think he doesn't care about his life. An example of this was when Teddy decided to step in front of a train and wait until the last second to dodge it, but Chris intervened and took him away before he could get hit. This risk-taking behavior and impulsive behavior is a result of the environment Teddy is exposed to at home. According to a journal of adolescent research, children who were abused as young children are more likely to engage in delinquency, violent romantic relationships, risk-taking, and substance abuse (Trickett, 2011). This fact is in line with the film, because at the end of the film it is said that Teddy spent some time in prison and works odd jobs for a living. This shows the effect of the environment Teddy grew up in. Vern Tessio is the comedic element of the group. He is sometimes targeted because of his weight. Even if you don't let it get to you, obesity is a very important factor in the development of development.