As is the case in Brooks's previous novels, Asylum for Nightface focuses on a young person who must endure great stress, mostly because the adults in his life refuse to take responsibility for themselves. Alcohol abuse is a common theme in his fiction, and in Asylum for Nightface, it helps shape the constricting world of Zimmerman's life. Frequently in Brooks's work, young people are trapped in situations created by grownups and are forced to assume responsibilities more appropriate to their elders than themselves.