Alex inflicts violence
Alex dwells in a sphere of upright morals and virtues and has a friend Marta with a good moral compass. The rough night comes as a test of his character, morality, and resilience. However, his decision leans more towards impressing The Jockey than an inclination for danger and violence. During their adventure Alex finds himself inflicting violence upon another akin to what Jockey would do. Nevertheless, this need to prove himself might emanate from a place of frustration but the sudden act of violence is out of character.
The class clown is bullied
Alex is depicted as a spirited and witty kid which makes him an unlikely target for bullying. The bullies are mostly seniors and are meaner therefore their targets are typically weaker and gentler students. Alex being a class clown puts him in situations of conflict which leads to him getting bullied. Though he does not consider the situation bullying, it is ironic that he falls victim to the hounding.
Teachers are complaisant
The novel focuses on the cultural violence that affects our society in every domain. Consequently, the characters are shown to admire individuals who inflict violence or are violent by nature. At the school, bullying has been normalized that the teachers are indifferent to these acts of violence against weaker students. It is ironic that the teachers avoid confrontations with the bullies by ignoring their actions against the younger weaker students.
Misplaced trust
The friendship between the protagonist and the Jockey is not only unlikely but also built on manipulation, deceit, and resentment. Besides Alex misplaces his trust by allowing them to resume their friendship even though he informed on the Jockey. The Jockey intends to have his revenge by placing Alex in an unfamiliar and intense situation outside of his comfort zone. Alex is unaware that this is his plan since he is uncertain whether he knows about the grassing that sent him away.
Irony of Rehabilitation
After his stint at the juvenile facility, The Jockey is back into his old ways of deception, violence, and criminal offenses. During his confinement, it is suggested that he participated in a program to rehabilitate younger offenders. Ironically he leaves the facility without any rehabilitation as he displays the same vices he indulged in.
