This novel reads like a warning about the dangerous ways abuse can become a never-ending cycle. The Swieteck family provides a shining example of how this works. Doug’s father is physically abusive, which results in Lucas being abusive, which results in Christopher being physically abusive, which almost leads to Doug being abusive. Because the chain is broken by several other positive influences, Doug is able to break the cycle. For example, Mr. Ferris assured Doug that “in this class, you are not your brother” (101).

Another way that Doug breaks the cycle of abuse is by being aware of it. On four different occasions in the book, he catches himself “sounding like Lucas,” and while it doesn’t always stop him, it often causes him to hesitate and sometimes to completely change his pace, as when he recognizes he’s bullying Lily. (16, 34, 81, 197).

Christopher’s continuation of the cycle appears in the scene where Doug’s Dad “and [his] brother laughed at” Doug for allowing his boss to pay him a week late when he first started working at the grocer’s (56). Christopher, however, is also aware of the cycle which is evidenced in the scene where Christopher tells his mother that “[j]ust because Lucas” was a thief doesn’t mean that he is (137).