Content Warning: This section discusses physical and sexual abuse against a child (specifically incest).

In Spilled Milk, Brooke’s resilience is her defining trait and the reason she survives severe abuse, even gaining the strength to report and testify against her father. Her life is filled with traumatic events from the time she is young and her mother is permanently injured. She watches as Molly physically, mentally, and emotionally deteriorates and falls into addiction, and David becomes increasingly volatile and sexually abusive. Brooke endures it all, standing in between her father and siblings to protect the latter—as she incorrectly believes speaking up about their home life will harm them. She experiences two major surgeries, two miscarriages, and her parents’ constant blame and reliance on her. She takes on a maternal role when Molly refuses to do so, caring for her siblings and putting their health and safety first at all times. In the face of Molly’s negligence, Brooke is sexually assaulted by David, which causes her severe pain and turmoil. She feels isolated, trapped, and uncertain how to protect herself or her siblings for good, due to her inability to process and understand her own trauma. However, when Brooke reflects on her youth, she feels her trauma and recovery shaped her into who she is: “I don’t regret what happened to me either.