The novel's title is taken from a line in The Epic of Gilgamesh, following the death of Enkidu. It is located in the epigraph as "I will let my hair grow long for your sake, I will wander through the wilderness in the skin of a lion," echoing the theme of converging voices re-telling history. Diogenes is quoted at the climax of the third act, "[i]n a rich man's house there is nowhere to spit except in his face."[7] Earlier in the third act, the character Caravaggio is described as keeping a dog to assist him in his burglaries because he does not trust anyone else.[8] Throughout the book, light (from a lantern, flaming cattails and other sources) and darkness plays heavily in the context of the main characters and development of the plot, i.e., illumination of the Finnish loggers, moonlight, when Caravaggio is learning to become a thief in total darkness, Patrick's removal of the lamp when breaking into the water plant, the lights being turned off during the final dialogue between Patrick and Harris. The color blue is also mentioned often, especially during Caravaggio's escape from prison to help him camouflage himself against the blue prison roof. The idea of demarcation is emphasized by Caravaggio to Patrick.
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