The search for self is an important task for the characters of The Ophiuchi Hotline. Some define themselves by their goals. For instance, Boss Tweed has made himself sexually neuter so that he may pursue his goal of liberating Earth without the distractions of sexual desire and romantic love. Others, such as Lilo, seem destined to search endlessly for a sense of identity.

Lilo has chosen to be physically a woman because she feels more comfortable as a female than as a male.

However, her relationships with other characters are unsatisfying; heterosexual and lesbian sex are momentary pleasures at best, with no lasting emotional satisfaction.

Lilo's search for her own identity is further complicated by Tweed's frequent cloning of her. The original Lilo, as well as Lilo 1 and Lilo 2, dies early in the novel. Eventually Lilo's clones go on different adventures, each sharing a degree of consciousness with...