Character Analysis
Not to be rude, but Peekay's mom is a real piece of work. Her weakness is in many ways the source of all of Peekay's problems in life. She has a nervous breakdown when he's five and has to go to a mental hospital, which means that Peekay has to go to the awful boarding school where the Judge tortures him.
When she gets out of the institution she finds a religion that makes life hard for Peekay, too, because she fires his cherished Nanny for refusing to convert. The Lord's sway over Peekay's mom is what guides all of her decisions, and he has to learn to be pretty wily to manipulate her into allowing him to box, play the piano, and write letters for the prisoners in the town:
My mother opened by saying the Lord was "sorely troubled" over the whole issue, which had "weighed heavily upon her." She liked to use words like "sorely troubled" and "weighed heavily" in her debates [...] (15.9)
Ultimately, Peekay's mom's heart is in the right place and she seems to always want what's best for him. She works hard as a dressmaker to make ends meet, which Peekay notices and appreciates as he learns to get by on his own two feet.