what is the message behind The Wave?

Even before he invents The Wave, Mr. Ross notices that his students are not living up to their potential because they lack organization in their lives. The Wave instills organization, but at a terrible cost to individual freedom. The novel does not offer any simple answers about whether people can think for themselves and be organized. Laurie has a strong work ethic (as shown by her commitment to her homework and to the school newspaper) but she is still unable to get things done because her peers lack similar organization skills. Laurie combines her strong work ethic with a fierce commitment to thinking for herself, but Strasser is cynical about whether the majority of people will ever be able to combine the two things as well as Laurie does.