Respect is a constant theme throughout the novel and is often defined differently according the life experiences of each character. For Winter, her dad, Santiaga, is the representation of a man worthy of respect; he has money, charisma, and a commanding personality. He goes after what he wants and gets it. In this way, Winter often looks for these same qualities in a man, and if he doesn’t have them, then she doesn’t respect them. This idea can best be seen in the characters of Sterling and Bullet. Sterling has a mediocre job and lets Winter walk all over him. Winter uses him for his apartment and car when she’s homeless, but she never respects him. Bullet, on the other hand, is rich, has a luxury car, buys Winter whatever she wants, and authoritatively tells Winter that she belongs to him. These qualities remind Winter of her father and makes her respect Bullet. For Winter, a man who earns respect on the streets earns her respect, too.

Midnight and Souljah represent the idea of respect in relation to urban life. Midnight explains how he had to earn respect: “From the minute I arrived I had to fight.