Disappointment and depression
For Ezra Faulkner, a name obviously derived by combine Ezra Pound's name with William Faulkner's, life is about one thing and one thing only: Tennis. That is a major symbol for competition because of the natural symbolism of sports and because of Faulkner's personality as a character in the novel. At the beginning of the novel, this dynamic character is defined by his success in hierarchies. He is the captain of the team, and the president of student-council, and the homecoming king. Instead of success, however, the book quickly takes him on an adventure of fate which starts his journey with feelings of extreme disappointment and existential grief.
Ableism and judgment
Because of a character named Luke, there is an explicit theme in the text pertaining to judgment against disabled people. The same crowd that worshiped Ezra at his prime is now bitterly mistreating him because he is crippled by a tragic accident at a party. Ezra is a suitably protagonist for this difficult journey because his experience of inability is in direct contrast to his personal opinion of himself. He is the kind of person who defines himself based on his abilities, so when those abilities change, he is forced to reconcile the hubris of his own ableism. He judges people more carefully after the accident.
Sexual approval and self-esteem
As far as Ezra's emotional life is concerned, he struggles with feelings of deep frustration, often believing that he has lost his opportunity to impress a mate and find the girl of his dreams. That disappointment is a theme that points to self-esteem for two reasons: first, self-esteem is a major part of what people admire in a spouse, and second, self-esteem is difficult to attain when sexual approval goes away. The approval he was used to as the king of his high school makes his fall more epic and symbolic. The theme should be encouraging to readers who want to know where their self-esteem might come from when they are frustrated with their own potential.
