If anything, it made it a bit more frightening... It gave the reader access to his insane mind.
I would say it’s the first or second. I’m leaning towards the second. Mostly because I don’t know key ideas from this story.
Answer: Where I Belong by Mary Downing Hahn
Explanation:
It’s about a boy, Brendan, who has been a foster kid all his life, is a social outcast everywhere. He finds solace in the woods behind his house, where he builds his own castle, and befriends a man he calls The Green Man. He learns to cope, and even makes a new friend during mandatory summer school.