What are the motifs in Deadline by Chris Crutcher?

Love and support is a recurring idea in this book. At first, Ben keeps his impending death a secret from those close to him because he loves them and doesn't want to hurt them. He wants his last year to be as normal as possible. What he doesn't realize when he makes this decision is that he needs the support of his loved ones to get through the year, and they need his support to learn how to live without him.