I love how in this chapter they focus on the difficulty of telling lies/making up stories... he needs to keep the story straightt, remember everything he said and never spill the truth unless it's harmless and it doesn't go against his made up one... freaking heavy, I love the tension!
people tend to be attracted to whoever they're really close with, despite the other's flaws
and yeah, the mom definitely is not ending her involvement here
it'd be too boring that way
she will be a key player for sure, just like how it's been