As is typical of a bildungsroman (See: Background), a key theme of Lives of the Saints is the loss of childhood innocence through conflict or challenges, resulting in the protagonist developing a more mature understanding of the world. This theme is largely embodied by the protagonist Vittorio Innocente and his first-person narration of the text. In the beginning of the story, Vittorio is six years old and does not understand the actions and motivations of those around him. By the end of the novel, he is forced to reckon with the ultimate loss of his childhood innocence.

In the opening chapter, Vittorio comes upon his mother, Cristina, with a man in the stable. While it is implied that his mother is having sex with this stranger, Vittorio’s understanding of the situation remains impressionistic and uncertain. While he is certain he heard a man shout, he describes the figure he sees fleeing the barn in magical, mystical terms: “[T]wo eyes […] bright flames that held me transfixed” (6). When his mother encourages him to say he didn’t see anything, he reflects that, “it seemed possible for an instant that […] the strange blue eyes had been an aberration, a trick of the sunlight” (7).