Some things I need clearing up

> 1) What exactly was the significance of Accela and the man killing himself in
> Cyberia?

lain's defensive mechanisms (being her different personality) triggered. She had a hard time recovering from them, not being able to recognize Arisu or talk to the policemen.

> 2) Who were Lain's parents? I mean, they weren't really Lain's parents at
> all.

They were to provoke lain into getting contact with wired. Were provided by either Eiri or Tachibana, probably the former.

> 3) What was all that stuff about the prophecy, and what happened to Miko?

Eiri believed that lain was attached to her sister and thought of the plan as of a good way to confuse lain.

1)Accela is not an actual drug in the chemical sense - it is a tiny machine - I think this shows how addictive technology and life in the Wired can be.

2)I agree with those who said these are not her real family & were probably planted by Eiri or Tachibana. However, if Lain is indeed about teenage isolation, as others have suggested, then maybe they ARE her real family and she simply does not bond well with them - linking to the theme of communication versus isolation in general.

3) I found an interesting answer to your third question online ages ago (bt I cant remember where!)
Somebody suggested Miko represented the 'older sister' Protocol 6 (& in turn the wired Internet with its appliances) whereas Lain (and Eiri?) were products of 'younger sister' Protocol 7.
Some evidence for this is in one episode (sorry, cant remember which) when Miko starts to mentally breakdown (or is 'replaced', depending on your reading) she sits on the floor making weird beping noises - abit like the sounds old dial up makes. Miko has been made obsolete now that lain has provided wireless connection of all people without monitors, mouses etc.