"Prisoner on Hell Planet"

On the first page of "Maus" we find out that Artie and his father are not very close.  We also learn that Artie's mother committed suicide at some point in the past. 

Writing the "Prisoner on Hell Planet" was Artie's way of expressing his inner anguish that he felt after his moms suicide.  The comic also gives a little insight on the relationship between Artie and his father.  At the bottom of the second page the father was crying and the narrator was expected to comfort him.  While being comforted it appears that the father is saying "mother..... mother...." instead of the Artie saying it.  This shows that Artie may have felt like his role with his father was backwards and that it should have been his father comforting him instead.  In the next box over the words "protect what you have" are written in small letters.   I believe that this is Artie's way of explaining that this was the point in which Vladek became the stereotypical miserly Jew.