The need for acceptance is human nature. Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Good Squad portrays humans yearning for approval in various personal and social aspects of their lives. The Salazar family consisting of Bennie, Stephanie, and Chris most specifically portrays this yearning throughout the novel. Over a series of encounters these characters become wrapped up in a map of Egan’s stories. The Salazar family endures romance, raising a child, and heartbreak all while learning that acceptance comes with a price. The desire for acceptance seen in Bennie, Stephanie, and Chris Salazar creates a sense of loneliness that damages relationships and drives them to self-destructive behavior.

The downfall of Stephanie and Bennie Salazar’s relationship appears when the family moves to Crandale. Stephanie’s desire to fit in with the country club community, especially the tennis ladies, forms a strong difference of opinion between Stephanie and Bennie.
Stephanie knew he wanted her to quit, renounce her partnership with Kathy to protect Cardboard’s bigotry and idiocy. But Stephanie had no intention of quitting. If they were going to live in a place whose social life revolved around a country club, she sure as hell was going to stay on good terms with the woman who guaranteed her easy assimilation. (Egan 118)
Stephanie’s longing for the community’s acceptance not only causes her to lose her uniqueness, but pushes her away from Bennie and heightens her distrust of him. “It took no imagination at all to see how everything had converged: pain; revenge; power; desire. He’d slept with Kathy. Of course” (Egan 134). In an attempt to fit in socially, Stephanie begins to lose a more important part of her life.
As each chapter in the novel progresses and more characters are introduced, the pressure for acceptance increases. After Bennie and Stephanie’s divorce, Bennie tries to connect with his son Chris, who lives with Stephanie. Music plays a large influence in Bennie’s life and he exposed Chris to a lot of music while he was growing up, however, Chris does not fully share Bennie’s passion for the music industry. In trying to earn Chris’ acceptance, Bennie forms habits that prevent him and Stephanie to work well together as parents. “Stephanie didn’t approve of Chris drinking coffee - reasonable… but Bennie couldn’t resist the exquisite connection that came of defying his ex-wife in unison. Betrayal Bonding, Dr. Beet called this, and like the will to Divulge, it was on the list of no-no’s” (Egan 24). Although Bennie wants the attention of his son, defying Stephanie only drives their relationship further apart and provides Chris a disillusioned version of parents. “Bennie was tempted to say, don’t tell your mother about the medicine, craving an instant connection with Chris before he went inside” (Egan 35). Bennie’s unethical attempts of gaining Chris’ acceptance not only hurt his bond with Chris and Stephanie but will prevent him from forming healthy relationships later in life.
As Bennie grows older, he loses the respect and acceptance of the music industry. Bennie’s inability to adjust to modern changes in music affects his personal life in addition to his work life. His resistance to accept a changing world dates back to after the divorce, while Chris was still young. “But Bennie knew what he was bringing to the world was s***. Too clear, too clean. The problem was precision, perfection; the problem was digitization, which sucked the life out of everything that got smeared through its microscopic flesh” (Egan 23). Although he made a name for himself in the music industry at a young age, with time, Bennie’s reputation decreases. No matter how much Bennie craves acceptance for the music he discovers and produces, his inability to change prevents this acceptance and drives him into loneliness and denial. The older he becomes, Bennie grows more pessimistic and disgusted with music. In a way, Bennie begins to hate his job of producing music he does not believe in.
“’You’re asking me to feed the people s***?’ Bennie had allegedly roared at the appalled executives. ‘Try eating some yourselves and see how it tastes!’ After that, Bennie had returned to producing music with a raspy analog sound, none of which had really sold. Now, pushing sixty, he was seen as irrelevant.” (Egan 312)
Due to the inability of the music world to accept Bennie, and he to accept changes in music, a man who once yearned to hear a hand strike a guitar and feel the vibrations of a bass now lives in a self-destructive and lonely world.
By intricately weaving the Salazar family’s story through other characters, Jennifer Egan not only narrates a tale of self-destruction and redemption, but describes human nature. All humans seek companionship and acceptance at some point during their lives, whether from a family member or an outside source. When these connections or approvals are not found within a relationship, one loses hope and confidence while tumbling into loneliness. Egan portrays that the foundation of a bond comes from the understanding and trust of one another, qualities that take time to develop between two people. This is an age of paradox. In a time when it is easier to keep in touch than ever, relationships suffer. More forms of communication provide more room to judge and analyze one another. With all of today’s media, cell phones, computers, and Facebook, Egan warns of the imminent downfall of relationships. A good relationship should be cherished and kept close because once a bond begins to break, it is challenging to repair. In a world where outside acceptance is craved and outside pressures push a person to conform to the rest of society, it is important to remain true to oneself and one’s relationships.