Out of the three sons, Hakeem Lyon represents the underdeveloped son who was favorited by his father for being the youngest, but missed the guidance, and love from Cookie. Hakeem fights against his three brothers for his father’s affection but due to his young age and lack of experience, he struggles to receive it. Now that his mother is back in the picture, he relies heavily on her for support, and for encouragement he didn’t receive as a child from his father or mother. His character identifies with young men who are attempting to find their permanent place in the world but base their decision based on other’s opinions. Before Cookie came into Hakeem’s life, he found a maternal figure by having relationships with older women, and that is