Birthdays
Birthdays are crucial timelines that mark the time spent behind bars. Carlotta observes, "The numbers of the highways the bus merged onto reminded her of birthdays Frenzy might have before he got sprung—79, 81, 80 Maybe 380." Frenzy is not likely to get out of prison. Chances of receiving parole like Carlotta's are minimal. Living up to the 380th birthday is impossible; he will die before he reaches it.
Love
Frenzy reckons that prison is not a place to find or experience love. However, Carlotta insists that "Love is love. The place don't matter." The restrictions in prison encumber them from delighting in their life freely without worrying about the COs. Frenzy feels that life in prison is equivalent to death. The chances of dying in the hands of other inmates are high in prison; therefore, loving there is a hazardous venture.
Scars
Some of the incarcerated criminals bear scars that underscore their criminal pasts. For example, "Big Deano loved to show everyone the scar from the operation he’d had after he got shot for times—it looked like a king crab crawling across his chest.” The horrid scar underscores the viciousness of the crimes he engaged him. His pride in the scar suggests he is not remorseful for his unpleasant past life and illegal deeds such as murder.
