In “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” and “For Esme-With Love and Squalor” there is the recurring theme of a child being able to return sanity to an older man involved with the war. In both cases, they met by chance in a public location. Sybil assumedly saw Seymour first at the bar when he was playing the piano and Esme approaches X when she recognizes him as part of the audience during her choir practice. Sybil and Esme both provide a certain escape from the horrors the two veterans witnessed, even if it is temporary. Sybil fills Seymour with the hope that innocence still persists and Esme's extroverted personality helps improve X's mental health. However, the nature of their relationships differ in some ways. Seymour acts childish, and so is able to connect with Sybil. Esme, however, due to her circumstance, has been forced into a mature, adult-like role for her younger brother. The two stories also end in drastically different ways. Seymour, in the end, realizes that even children can be corrupted and kills himself because of it. X finds relief when he receives Esme’s letter and her unique style of speech and writing.
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