Content Warning: This section discusses physical abuse by a family member and physical abuse by a partner.

Sarah Dessen portrays the full cycle of an abusive relationship between two teenagers in Dreamland, starting with the factors that might cause dating violence and concluding with a positive resolution. Through this first-person narrative, Dessen illustrates the traumatic impact of violence in a romantic relationship. Much of the novel focuses on the build-up toward the first incidence of physical violence, which reflects an intentional choice on Dessen’s part to show the entire cycle of abuse, not just the physical harm.

The causes of dating violence are varied, and Dessen shows how Rogerson is a victim of abuse in his own home to illustrate this preceding factor why he perpetrates abuse against Caitlin. Many of Rogerson’s behaviors early on fit with his pattern of experiencing abuse and then externalizing that shame and anger toward Caitlin. For example, not long after meeting Caitlin, Rogerson tells her that he “knew [she] was trouble […] just by looking at [her]” (57). Up to this point, Caitlin is portrayed as anything but trouble, so Rogerson is manipulative, mirroring the way he is treated in his own home.