The need to fit in
One of the common themes in the novel is the idea that teenagers feel the need to be accepted and to fit in above everything else. The teenagers in the novel are typical ones, living their life while looking at the others around them and comparing themselves to them. Because of this, they engage in various behaviors that are destructive such as having unprotected sex, consuming drugs and alcohol and going to parties. This becomes a destructive behavior for many because they become controlled by their habits. Keith for example starts using stronger and stronger drugs, eventually using acid to prove he is just like everyone else. In reality however, he is scare of doing those drugs and is scared by the way the drugs affect his body and his mind. Keith does not admit this in front of his peers because he is afraid he will be judged and thus he continues to engage in a destructive behavior.
STD
The bug the characters contact in the novel is basically an STD, a disease transmitted through sexual contact. In the fictional universe, the bug created physical mutations that more than often can’t be hidden away from the others. Real STDs also can create physical symptoms such as rashes, bumps and other marks that can be seen by everyone. In this sense, the STD can’t be hidden and thus those who are branded by it become ostracized. In the past, the people who contacted STDs often fell the need to stay away from society just as the people with the bug are forced to stay in the woods as a way to protect themselves from the violence the outside world directed at them. Thus, another theme in the novel revolves around presenting how those who have unacceptable diseases by society’s standards are often forced to live in horrible conditions and how their lives are affected as a result.
Love and its power
Another major theme in the novel is love. Keith loves Chris from the beginning but she ends up being attracted to Rob. Keith’s love starts as attraction for Chris that later develops into something more. Still, Chris is not interested in Keith and so Keith starts a relationship with Eliza. When Rob disappears, Chris is so affected that she is no longer able to move on. She becomes depressed and loses all her hope in the future. This affects her prospects of surviving and she becomes unable to take care of herself. Keith on the other hand moves on and starts a relationship with Eliza, who loves Keith. The two become close and learn they can rely on one another even though times are though. This eventually helps the two get over the traumatic experiences in their lives and helps them live a happy and fulfilling life. Thus, in this case, love had the power to save the two and enabled them to have a good prospect on the future.
