The impact of secrecy and toxic dysfunction is one of the novel’s most important and overt themes. Deception, lies, and omission are all shown to have a corrosive effect on both individual family members and familial relationships, and House of Glass illustrates how difficult it is for people to thrive and maintain healthy connections when dishonesty remains at the core of familial interactions. However, the novel also suggests that healing is ultimately possible, as each of the dysfunctional families manages to heal and move into healthier relational models of forgiveness and acceptance.

The Barclay family is the ostensible focus of the narrative, and their household is characterized by secrecy and deep dysfunction. Beth and Ian have a fractured relationship, and Ian’s serial cheating and the couple’s fundamental disconnect impact multiple areas of their marriage. They do not share common interests, beliefs, and values, and they disagree on how to raise their daughter. Against the backdrop of her parents’ fraught marriage, Rose becomes a solitary and withdrawn child. Because of her keen intellect and emotional intelligence, Rose is acutely aware of the abnormality of her household, which profoundly impacts her well-being. The Barclay family also constructs a complex web of lies to shield Rose from prosecution for Tina’s murder.