Continuity mistake: Heading for the costume party, the blood splatter on the window changes size and looks between shots.
Continuity mistake: When Jim's mom kisses him goodnight, his father turns around to leave twice.
Continuity mistake: When Jim is in bed talking to his mother about God, his left hand is either resting by his head or down by his waist, depending on the angle.
Continuity mistake: When Jim opens the fridge the cheese changes positions between shots.
Continuity mistake: When Jim's car approaches the beggar on the sidewalk, in the wide angle Jim is sitting on the far right. In the close-up he is sitting on the far left.
Continuity mistake: Jim passes twice by the same part of the Gone with the Wind poster.
Continuity mistake: When heading for the costume party, when Jim leans to see the crowd, his hand is on/off the car's window.
Answer: I don't think anyone disliked Jim or was mean to him. Basically, he's a somewhat annoying, overly-active kid that the adults, who are in a very dire situation, simply didn't have much patience or the inclination to deal with. Also, the adults are mostly upper-class British, and in that era and before, they tended to be stricter with and more dismissive of children.
raywest