The speaker feels exposed and worn down, and the poem is built around the word "hope" because hoping is all they feel able to do. They long for a time when their mind and home were safe places, where thoughts hurt no one and no one watched from the windows to judge. The "monsters" seem to stand for people who criticise or look down on them, and the "prince" suggests a fairy-tale wish to be rescued. The poem hints at a fear of being seen and found lacking.
In the last stanza the focus shifts to a future daughter. The speaker hopes she will be strong, because school can "kill your fairies and Santa Clauses", meaning it can take away childhood innocence. The promise "I will never judge" feels like a reply to the speaker's own hurt. The mood is wistful, vulnerable and quietly tender, ending on a gentle hope rather than a solution.