Paranoia
Needless to say, Ikenna suffers from paranoia. Something about the way Abulu pronounced his prophecy over him drives Ikenna crazy with paranoia. He dwells on the idea, turning it over and over in his mind, until he finally draws his own conclusions about the words. He is the one who decides "fisherman" must refer to one of his brothers. As time goes by, he grows more and more paranoid that one of them will murder him. He no longer trusts them nor his parents. He retreats from their company and completely transforms himself through fear and suspicion, becoming an adolescent hermit.
Fatherlessness
The absence of the boys' father at the beginning of the book is not accidental. The theme of fatherlessness runs throughout the conflict. If Ikenna possessed a strong father figure, he would not feel responsible for his own fate, but his dad isn't around, causing him to panic. In the end, Ikenna makes important decisions without consulting his father and holds them as truth upon the elder man's return. The fatherlessness of the family reflects the political situation of Nigeria in the 1990s. Their leaders having been stolen from them by corruption and intrigue. By the time the boys meet MKO Abiola, they are desperate for a male role model and quickly become obsessed with him.
Fraternal Affection
A unique aspect of this story is its emphasis upon the relationship between the four brothers. They begin as the best of friends, sneaking away together to go fishing. They share secrets. After Abulu's prophecy, however, Ikenna's suspicion drives them apart. They cannot sustain vulnerability when one of them suspects the other three of wanting to kill him, literally. Reminiscent of the biblical story of Cane and Able, fratricide becomes the dominant theme of the rest of the novel, turning the fraternal affection on its head. Ikenna chooses to believe the worst in his brothers, in turn drawing out the worst in himself. He is angry at himself more than anyone else, but he does not stop to remember all the assumptions he made before becoming paranoid.
Schizophrenia
Abulu is obviously a schizophrenic. As the town crazy and a self-proclaimed prophet, he believes that he hears spirits which nobody else does. They tell him the future. Perhaps Ikenna has a genetic or psychological predisposition to schizophrenia because he is greatly disturbed by Abulu's prophecy. He cannot dismiss it, like his brothers do, but, then again, he is the subject, so it does bear greater significance to him naturally. Ikenna allows Abulu's thought to grow in his own mind, growing increasingly paranoid and frightened. Eventually he allows these suspicions enough authority to demonstrate certain schizophrenic symptoms as well.
