Discuss how the family affects each of these characters: Montag, Clarisse, and Mildred.

Montag, Clarisse, and Mildred each have different views about family in Fahrenheit 451. Mildred, for example, believes that the people who perform on the parlor walls are her family. Although she has friends and a husband, she feels far less connected to real people. You'll notice that she can't even remember where she met Montag.
In contrast, Clarisse feels a strong connection to her family. She talks with them and they frequently sit out on the porch at night. She also talks about her family to Montag, which another sign of her deep connection to them.
Similarly, Montag wants a connection to a real family. He is very distressed when Mildred takes an overdose, for example, which shows that he does have feelings towards his wife. However, these feelings are not reciprocated by Mildred because she cares more about the parlor walls than him. In addition, Montag develops a strong connection to Clarisse. Even after her death, Montag frequently thinks of Clarisse and clearly misses her. Montag is also not at all interested in the "family" from the parlor walls.
Family, therefore, provokes different responses in these characters but we can see that Montag and Clarisse share some similarities while Mildred is far less interested in the real family around her.