Justice

Louis Sachar's novel Holes

deals with the issue of justice. This theme is present on several levels. First, there's the idea that in order for justice to happen, people must be punished for their crimes. That's why all the boys are sent to Camp Green Lake....to do time for their crime. It's possible that what happens at Camp Green Lake is a comment on the justice system in America. People who make mistakes have the chance to make amends, but doing so is hard and is not done under pleasant circumstances.

Rehabilitation is part of the overall picture, and that's the intent of the Camp. Here, bad boys are rehabilitated into "good" ones by hard work, which builds strong character and strong body.

Justice is sometimes corrupted. This is what happens when bad people like The Warden and Mr. Sir are placed in authority over those who...