The concept of robots and artificial intelligence, once thought of as a fictional future, is now a reality as technology becomes more integrated into everyday life. Robots work in factories, conduct life-saving surgeries in hospitals, and even compete in chess competitions against humans. In his first novel, The Wild Robot, Brown explored the idea of a highly advanced and intelligent robot surviving in the wilderness apart from society. In the sequel, The Wild Robot Escapes, Roz returns to the life which she was designed to live—as a helper to humans. Though Roz feels more comfortable in the unorganized natural world, she uses what she learned on the island to integrate into society and learns that farms and cities can be just as dangerous as the wilderness. As Roz learns to adapt to living on a modern industrialized farm and is forced to flee through a bustling metropolis full of robotic workers, Brown explores the intersection of technology with the natural world and the impact mechanization and automation have on the lives of humans, animals, and the environment.

The novel is set in a not-too-distant future, in which everything is automated. Hilltop Farm is run almost completely by machines, and Roz even embraces the convenience of technology: “In her old life, the robot made fire by cracking special stones together until she got a spark.