What do darkness and light come to symbolize in the novel, One of the Boys?

Darkness and light come into play toward the end of the novel and are used as symbols of despair and hope. After the boys’ attempt to run away back to Kansas fails, the father enforces an extended lockdown on their apartment, blocking all the windows so that no light can come in, shrouding the entire place in darkness. It is at this point when things like most bleak for the narrator and his brother, and any chance of escape seems almost impossible. This darkness however sets up the light in the final chapter that comes pouring into the apartment when the narrator opens the door to let the police in. Just when rescue seemed impossible, this action by the narrator and the light that accompanies it represents an overwhelming sense of hope for their future.