I thought the influence Wes' parents had on him was an absolute key to his success. As I said before, Wes was on the wrong path as a child. He was doing drugs and it was affecting his academics too. Before things get out of hand, Wes' family forces him to attend military school and get his life together. Even though Wes tried to run away and quit multiple times, his family continued to push and motivate him. We also saw how the other Wes Moore lacked the motivation of his family. His family did not push him or keep him on the path of writing. I think it is very important for a child's parents to keep their child on the right path. It's the combination of parental influence and the ability to make the right choices yourself. In the story it was surprising to see how their lives started out so similar but ultimately investigate the factors that led them to become two different ones