LOL! The motel owner has the drug cartel kill Howie and Bonita and he uses the Lotto money to pay the cartel for protection. He holds the baby hostage. He'll give the baby up only if the US allows all Mexican illegal immigrants to become US citizens.
Freepers, Minutemen and all good patriots have had enough! War begins ;-)
More seriously, we each see things from our own life's perspectives. In your story Howie is a whimp and Larry is a man. In the real story, the same may still be true, but things are never quite so cut and dried as that. If Larry's the dad, he SHOULD get DL, barring any unforeseen revelations. In your story, Bonita made her choices, drugged up at times or not. Anna made her choices, of that I have no doubt.
"""we each see things from our own life's perspectives""
By George, I think you've got it.