Duty and responsibility are key themes in George Washington’s Socks. Matt feels responsible throughout the story, beginning with the campout scene; when Katie announces she is ready for adventure and Matt must admit that there is no true quest planned, he feels that his club has not measured up to expectations or potential. Once the group travels in time to 1775, Matt shoulders responsibility for many conflicts: Katie’s disappearance over the edge of the boat, losing Israel’s glass beads before he could fulfill his promise, and the inability to discover a quick way back home. We see Matt’s panic at having to tell his parents that Katie is gone, as they will look to him as the person responsible for her, and he is despondent and worried when Tony insists that Matt, as leader, must figure out how to get them home.

The theme of responsibility runs beneath Matt’s interactions with the soldiers and officers of the Continental Army as well. He sees General Washington carrying a heavy burden of responsibility as his soldiers push themselves through the terrible cold and long march without proper clothing and supplies. Matt shows high regard for Colonel Henry Knox, a rebel from Boston who shouldered the responsibility of the Artillery Regiment and demonstrated a sense of duty by strategically bringing a massive arsenal of weapons 300 miles to the siege of Boston.