Mom, Dad, and T.J.
MOM
Mom is a character that doesn't exactly talk a lot in the show but still has a big impact on the story with what she's said offstage and her life history. Our first encounter with Mom is her telling Lily to let the conversation she had with her Dad blow over. She ends the conversation quickly seemingly, but we also don't seem to be curious about this because Lily has practice anyway. However, this first scene is meant to somewhat foreshadow the truth we find out from Lily when she comes clean. We find out Lily tried to tell her Mom in middle school about how she thought she was depressed, but her Mom brushes it off and says in short, "It's normal." However, Mom didn't know that that conversation would be the thing that made Lily keep her feelings inside, causing her to spiral for years. Mom's flaw is clearly sweeping things under the rug, but we also can't entirely blame her when we find out about her past.
In Act 2, it is revealed that Mom suffered abuse from Lily's grandfather when she was a child. It was almost the exact situation that played out with Lily, but Mom didn't tell anyone. According to her, everyone in the family knew but said nothing, showing this continued cycle of abuse this family has gone through. Mom didn't have anyone help her when she was a child so she continued to sweep things under the rug and unfortunately passed this habit into her parenting when it came to Lily. It's interesting to note how Dad is the one to storm out and contact the police, but all Mom could do at that time is cry. It's a sad cycle of abuse that Mom didn't know could happen and she blames herself for it. It's not until Lily comes clean once again and Mom overhears her conversation with Dad that she realizes she needs to break the cycle once and for all.
DAD
Dad is what you think a typical Dad would be like. He tells Dad jokes, makes silly nicknames, and takes his family very seriously. However, the first flaw we see with Dad is how he has a tendency to be close-minded. When he finds out Lily is quitting basketball, he practically loses it. He has this belief that she can go far with it and doesn't understand her reasonings for letting it go. Lily is quite literally telling him why, but he can't seem to be swayed on the subject. In my personal experience, it's more of a tough love situation and expectations Dad has for her. He believes Lily can overcome a bad coach and a not-so-great experience with basketball, but she'll be overall better for it in the long run. Although we don't know much about Dad's backstory, we can assume he's been through struggles in his life that make him have this mindset. He's not as sensitive as Lily, so he can't see where she's coming from and tries to push back against the idea that she has to give up something because she's not happy.
Dad also has a tendency to blow up at times when conflict arises. We can see as Lily is talking about the good teachers she has, Dad completely yells at her over his anger with the Mr. E situation. He doesn't mean to blow up and has to remove himself from the living room to calm down. He cares so deeply that it sometimes hurts others when he can't keep it together. We can only assume how much he blew up when the situation with Lily's grandfather happened. However, we don't hear him in that scene, we only see him storm out.
Despite his flaws, it's clear he cares deeply for his family and wants to protect them. He's understanding with Lily when she confesses how she's been feeling for years and is determined to do what he can to help her. It's also clear he wants Mom to be on the same page but doesn't get angry with her when he hears that Lily already tried to talk to Mom about feeling depressed. We see that behind it all, he's just a man who loves his family and wants to do everything in his power to keep them safe and happy.
T.J.
T.J. is based on my real-life brother who is my absolute best friend. He's quirky, funny, a great observer, kind, and very down-to-earth overall (also a nerd). He is the only one who kind of sniffs out how Lily feels in the play without directly stating he does in comparison to Diane. T.J. tries his best to give his sister advice and take care of her without overwhelming her. He's often a voice of reason for her when she can't think straight and tries to take her mind off things if he can. An example could be making her play Super Mario Bros. so she's able to just enjoy herself and be a kid, but still being himself by messing with her. He's always genuine with her and just wants her to win, probably the biggest supporter in her life. Considering he's the older sibling, Lily does share a lot of similar traits by growing up with him. We could argue that Lily gets some of that hopefulness and positivity from him, as we never really see T.J. upset throughout the entire play.