Rex Walls is a very intellectual man who has a strong passion towards math and science. He is a skilled engineer and electrician and hopes that one day he will make his family rich and build them a glass castle. Unfortunately due to his abusive past, economic situation, and his inability to hold a stable job to provide for his family he resulted to alcohol for comfort which made him a very unstable role model. He would spend whatever remains from his family’s tight budget on alcohol and gambling. He even stole money from his wife’s pay check and from his children’s saving fund.
Despite his actions when he is drunk, he is a positive influence as he teaches his children how to be independent and strong. When he and his family were in the desert during Christmas, he knew that he could not provide for his children like others could, but his love for them was strong that he let them choose a star from the sky to claim. He taught them science, math, astronomy and even Morse code at such an early age
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He made Jeannette attempt to swim by herself until she learned how to without drowning. Moreover, he never wanted his family to get hurt, and slowly when his family began to scatter to New York City by themselves he became scared that the city will swallow them up and that they will end up like he did.
Rex had the potential of being a good father to his children, but because of his alcoholism and gambling problem, he was unable to provide for his family a well suited life. Nonetheless, the children’s experience of moving around and not wanting to end up like their father molded their personalities to what we know of today. Even though Rex’s manner in influencing his children is not appropriate, they gained all the good virtues that was seen in