“Easiest thing in the world, becoming invisible to white people, who don’t see you anyway; but the hardest thing is becoming invisible to brown people, who will see you no matter what.”
As an illegal immigrant in a foreign country, Danny has to learn to assimilate and assume a new identity to fit in. In order to live a rather normal life in Sydney, Danny changes his identity, posture, and mannerism not to draw attention. He has been trying to create a new identity so he can live a somewhat normal life despite the abnormal circumstances he has to deal with. He has managed to live invisibly in the presence of the natives even though he is still undocumented. However, the assertion alludes to how it might be easy to be invisible to the natives by adopting their culture but it is impossible to hide from other immigrants. It refers to how immigrants in foreign countries subtly judge each other depending on the choices they have them there.
“You had no choice where Danny grew up; in Batti, even criminals had to be law-abiding.”
Danny grew up in a place where doing the right thing is an admirable and expected virtue. Henceforth the narrative which focuses on the idea of being moral or honest brings forth the conflict in the novel. He has to confront the fact that if he lets justice prevail for the homicide then he will suffer the consequences of being discovered as an illegal migrant. He struggles with the dilemma of whether he has any responsibility in a place where he possesses no rights.
