The film clearly shows how society judges anyone who is different and what affect that can have on a child. Billy's father and brother, both union leaders, are "man's men." They are rough, crude, insulting, and unable to understand anything other than their own masculine tendencies. They bully Billy and cannot accept that he is interested in something as feminine as ballet. They want him to stop, never caring how much he loves the dance. Even worse, they fail to recognize that he is good, good enough to earn a spot at the Royal Ballet School. They try to stop his dreams because they are afraid people will think he is a "poof" (gay), which shows they care more about what society thinks than they care about their own family. This shows how strong gender expectations can be, and how they can affect a child from a very early age....
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