More than you would expect in a Wes Craven movie.
- Alice and Roach's relationship. It's shown that she gives him at least part of her food and, when the fork is missing and Mommy begins to get cross, Alice goes searching for it. Roach reaches out of the vent to give it back and she takes it, though she gives his hand an affectionate stroke before she does.
- Roach, in general, does everything to try to help Fool, giving him the antique coins after being injured and asks him to save Alice, even showing him the way, and tries to save Leroy early in the movie, though his shocking appearance only leads Leroy into running out and getting shot by Daddy.
- Fool goes into the house in the first place not simply out of greed, like Leroy and Spenser, but to help get money to get his sick mother into a hospital. And when Alice is trapped in the house, he willingly sneaks back inside to save her.
- Alice and Fool's friendship. Alice makes dolls in remembrance of every person (that she knows of) killed in the house and Fool, though barely knowing Alice, risks his life to try to save her.
- The people under the stairs, who seem to be monsters or zombies at first, end up helping Fool, saving him from Daddy and showing him where the secret vault is while Fool tells them the way out. They pay him back by saving Alice from Mommy and take their revenge in the process.
