Most people find themselves in situations throughout their lives in which a lie could potentially help avoid propelling more pain. When is it okay to keep the truth from someone? Is not telling the entire truth the same thing as lying? The answer to these questions is not always as easy as we would like it to be, and this theme persists throughout the novel.

Lisa and Clark keep a secret for Solomon’s benefit; they suspect that telling him the truth will cause his mental health to regress. Lisa has her own personal gain in mind when she concocts the idea for the experiment, but she genuinely wants Solomon to get better, even before she meets him and develops a genuine friendship with him. The novel therefore illustrates moral ambiguity in its protagonists and sets the stage for a hero’s journey story arc. Keeping the secret of her experiment doesn’t only affect the relationship with Solomon—it also informs Lisa’s relationship with Clark as they grow apart. The characters in this novel grow as they navigate more responsibility for others.

Solomon keeps his own secrets too. He tries as hard as he can to keep his feelings for Clark to himself, and he goes out of his way to make sure his parents don’t see the extent to which he engages in self harm.