When the lights go up on "Next To Normal," the audience is introduced to a common, even boring suburban family. Husband and wife, Dan and Diana Goodman, and their two children, Natalie and Gabe, seem to have the normal struggles of an average middle-class family. However, the tedium and hassle of work, school, or relationships seems to be the least of their problems. We find out that Diana has bipolar depression, and the pristine facade of suburbia has been shattered. But there is still a shocking discovery yet to come.

A few numbers into the show, the audience finds out that the Goodman's son, Gabe, had died sixteen years ago, despite his character's continual presence on stage. This discovery complicates how the audience views Gabe and his individual interactions with each character. He is no longer a typical boy. He's not even a shadow of a boy. Instead, Gabe is a projection of the family's fears, struggles, and, most extensively, he is the manifestation of Diana's bipolar depression. Once the audience realizes this, everything Gabe says or does has a malevolent undertone. It's not her son who tells her to throw out all her medication, it's her illness.

Dr. Madden, Diana's psychiatrist, asks her who and what her son is, and where he comes from. This is when Gabe sings "I'm Alive," a song that gives mental illness a voice. The lyrics are rich with inferences to how mental illness affects people.

I'm your wish,
Your dream come true,
And I am your darkest
Nightmare too
I've shown you...
I own you.

...

I'm right behind you.
You say forget,
But I remind you.
You can try to hide,
You know that I will find you.

"I'm Alive" is one of the most interesting songs in the show because it is the voice of mental illness. And that's what Gabe's character is. He is despair, anger, and fear. He is a looming figure that haunts the background of every confrontational or vulnerable scene.

One of the most haunting moments in the show is when Gabe sings "There's a World." Out of context, this song appears to be a soothing, even comforting song. That's exactly how it's supposed to appear. In context, however, it is a deceptive melody that convinces Diana to attempt suicide. Everything Gabe does or says is manipulative and destructive. He's not a ghost or a mere hallucination; he is literally the voice of mental illness.

Gabe's influence is not limited to Diana. He also sings "I'm Alive" to his father and sister. He taunts them, mocking their frustrations. He even pushes the impulse of addiction in Natalie. In one poignant interaction with Natalie, Gabe swoops in during her song, "Superboy and the Invisible Girl." In this song, Natalie expresses her frustration that Diana cares more about her dead brother than she cares for Natalie. Gabe comes in during the last verse to remind her that "she's not there," that she is nothing. He even forces her to take the harmony in her own song. This is not her dead brother mocking her, but her darkest thoughts confirming themselves.

Gabe's interactions with his father, Dan, are perhaps the most blatantly aggressive in comparison to everyone else. In the song "I Am the One," Gabe defends Diana against Dan's bombardments. He is both Diana's defense and Dan's frustrations. Gabe harasses his father as he sings, "Are you waiting? Are you wishing? Are you wanting all that she can't give? Are you hurting? Are you healing? Are you hoping for a life to live? Well so am I." He keeps imploring his father to look at him, recalling the lines "If you try to deny me I'll never die," from "I'm Alive." It is implied that Dan can see his own version of Gabe, but, of course, he refuses to acknowledge Gabe's presence.

Those implications are confirmed in "I Am the One (Reprise)." This is not only the first time Dan looks directly at Gabe, but the first time Gabe's name is ever said in the show. He tells Dan, "I am the one who knows you. I am the one you fear. I am the one who's always been here...I know you know who I am." Dan was just as affected as Diana. There's an irony to Diana's song "You Don't Know" because she tells him he has no idea what she is going through. She denied that he was hurting. The devastating truth was that he knew exactly what she was feeling.

"Next To Normal" acknowledges the truth of mental illness, something that is constantly stigmatized or tabooed. It shows the validity of the struggle against such illnesses, and it does so in an intelligent, powerful way.