Isolation and Lack of Love in I'm the King of the Castle

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Isolation and loneliness is a very prominent theme in I'm the King of the Castle. It seems that none of the characters in the back are loved, or receive love, from anyone else. This is recognised from the relationships between the characters.

Mrs Helena Kingshaw has spent the years since the death of her husband moving from place to place with her son Charles, determinedly seeking stability, companionship and comfort for herself, desperate not to be alone. The fact that she has "not so very many friends", meaning that they have to move into the houses of various strangers, and even stay in a hotel at one point, suggests that she is not a person who radiates love, affection and trust upon people so that they can grow close and develop a friendship. When Mrs Kingshaw arrives at Warings and meets Mr Hooper, she is sure she has found the perfect situation: a widower with his own house and land, who possesses a considerable amount of money, and on top of everything, a son, Edmund, whom Charles can befriend. She becomes more and more happy throughout the book, as Mr Hooper pays for "cocktail parties" and shopping trips