Character Analysis
By the time Vahan hooks up with the Tashians, he's already seen death, violence, and racism from most people, so he's a little jaded. But when he first meets them, he tells us of Mrs. Tashian: "the overall sympathy of her features, the warmth of her smile, the understanding in her eyes, made me feel as though I had known her all my life" (26.28). In short, he feels at home with the Tashians instantly.
Maybe it's because they treat him more like a son than a servant. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that they are the ones to provide him the first safe and warm home he's been searching for up to this point. Whatever it is, Vahan fits in naturally with the pair, and loves living with them—plus he actually trusts them. When Seta is kicked out and he wants to help her, the Tashians happily take her in, even offering to raise her baby.
The Tashians are warm, inviting, and the closest thing Vahan gets to family, outside of his own—one of the few bright spots in a dark couple of years, and not a moment too soon.