The central issue confronted in the novel is the problem of violence. In the school setting, violence takes the form of bullying of vulnerable young people, while outside of school, violence unfolds within families, with children and women as the primary victims. Crutcher’s representation of violence in the novel raises two important issues:why violence occurs and how society and individuals can effectively respond to violence.

In the school setting, victims in the novel are the targetsof bullying because of some form of difference. Chris is singled out both by teachers and his fellow students because of his developmental disabilities. Within the racially-homogenous society of Cutter, T.J. is the target of bullying by Mike Barbour and Rich Marshall and of social exclusion by his classmates because of his racial identity.

There is a stark contrast between how effectively Chris and T.J. are able to respond to bullying, however. Because of his developmental disabilities, inconsistent family support, and lack of supervision by the school, Chris is frequently abused by his classmates and has no recourse beyond the support of bystanders like T.J.T.J., on the other hand, is able to respond verbally and is supported by parents with social and economic resources.