The Distance From Here

The Distance From Here is a play by Neil LaBute. It centers on Darrell, a typical late-nineties slacker whose life is spent smoking, putting up with irresponsible parents, and wallowing in his idleness. He spends time with Tim, a slightly-less slacking breed of slacker (unlike Darrel, he has a job), and his girlfriend Jenn. His mother Cammie ignores him, his stepfather Rich is abusive, uncouth and unhelpful, and his stepsister Shari has developed incestuous feelings for Darrell, all the while ignoring the cries of her newborn child.

The child's crying reflects the play's central theme: the misfortune of abandoned children, and the consequences those children suffer through. Because he was ignored and abused by uncaring parents, Darrell is doomed to go through the same cycle that they went through.