The men on the boat represent a community, and Crane’s short story directly explores how the men work together to survive at sea. The correspondent and the oiler row the dinghy, the cook keeps water out of the boat, and the captain provides leadership and guidance. Each person has a specific role and contributes to the group. The men don’t acknowledge their community out loud, but the knowledge of it gives them strength.

The men’s “brotherhood” is partly a practical matter of “common safety” (219). If the four men fought and quarreled, they’d have a difficult time focusing on the task at hand: survival. Yet the theme goes beyond the precarious situation, as the narrator notes the bond between the men is “personal and heartfelt” (219); their cooperation stems from something deeper than the struggle to stay alive. The men do argue a couple of times, but their disagreements are minor because the men like and appreciate one another in a way that transcends the life-or-death situation.

At the same time, the men experience alienation. They’re separate from the rest of the people in the world.