What role does pain—both physical and emotional—play in the story? How do Shay and Dante each deal with the pain of their inevitable separation? What does the story suggest about the relationship between love and loss?

The characters’ neighborhood and Shay’s imminent move away from it plays an important role in the story. How does the setting shape Shay and Dante’s identities and relationship? What does the story suggest about how a person’s environment influences them?

How does the story use metaphor to draw connections between Dante and Shay’s personal experience and the wider societal issues of racism and gentrification?