Answer:
The fact that Laurie's mother doesn't realize that Laurie is Charles develops the story's theme in the sense that:
A. The mother's fascination with Charles's behavior and excuses for Laurie's home behavior develop the theme that parents are often blind to their own children's faults.
Explanation:
This question is about the short story "Charles" by author Shirley Jackson. It is told from the perspective of Laurie's mother. Each day, coming back home from kindergarten, her son Laurie tells a different story about a boy named Charles who misbehaves at school. Laurie himself is misbehaving at home - being impolite, ignoring his parents, mocking them... Yet, <u>his mother and father never make the connection that Laurie is lying about the existence of this other kid. They become so fascinated about Charles, so eager to meet the mother of such a troublemaker, they don't realize their own son is Charles. They even take advantage of Charles's "existence" to justify Laurie's bad behavior, claiming Charles is influencing him. Blind to their own son's faults, it is only at the end of the story that the mother is told by Laurie's teacher that there is no Charles in their classroom.</u>
