All four main characters are impacted by their dreams. Dallas often dreams of “his favorite place” (39), a lush, natural environment to which he has never been. His dream is an escape from the harshness of his life. Symbolically, his dream represents a place of safety that will nurture him, and this is what Ruby Holler provides for him and Florida.

Florida’s dreams tend to be darker—she dreams of being chased and of rats and lizards. The twins’ dreams reflect their optimistic and pessimistic personalities.

Often dreams serve as a signal to the novel’s characters that they should take action. Like Florida, Tiller has ominous dreams. Years prior, when his young daughter was sick, Tiller dreamt that she was being harmed by an allergy to orange popsicles. He was able to use knowledge obtained from his dream to help her. The novel suggests that dreams are powerful indications of what the dreamer is troubled by or steps the dreamer needs to take to resolve the dissonance in his or her life.

Birds appear frequently in the novel. In the opening chapter, Dallas notices a majestic bird, which, unlike he and Florida, can soar freely wherever it pleases. The contrast between the twins’ situation and that of the bird intrigues him.