What are the motifs in Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead by Bert V. Royal?

Being different is a recurring idea as well as a theme. A major theme in Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead is the concept of being different. In the first scene, "Dear Pen Pal," CB notes that he enjoyed writing his pen pal because his pen pal did not judge him like other people did. At their dog's funeral, mocking his sister for her newfound Wiccan belief, CB tells her to find an identity. In response, she tells him that he is always the same which is nothing to brag about; she will not tell him how to live his life if he does not tell her how to live hers. Matt hates Beethoven for being different. Marcy and Tricia try to act normal when they are drunk at lunch. Beethoven's life is miserable because he is labeled as a homosexual. Beethoven tells CB about how he has been bullied and tormented for years because everyone thinks he is gay, but Beethoven does not know if he is gay because he has never had sex. CB admits that he did not know what to say to Beethoven after Beethoven's father was arrested, and though CB did not actually bully Beethoven, he apologizes for allowing it to happen.