These two novels tell the adventures that the two live while trying to escape from the North towards the "free states". Over the course of their adventures they learn that each of them wishes to escape some type of slavery. I think nowadays most people can relate to wanting to escape something or get away from their problems. I also believe that in these novels Mark Twain wants readers to understand that family can be made up of people who are not even related by blood. Blended families, so to speak. Huck, Tom, and Jim form a family bond with each other that most people in that era couldn't understand, much less be a part of. Ethnicity was a major factor in that era, however, now it is not uncommon or unusual to see interracial marriages, families with mixed children, or even a gay couple raising a family.