Waiting for the End of the World portrays a number of contemporary social problems. Urban violence is vividly described, especially when the cell undertake their "Mau Mau" initiation and when Hector's devils goad him to shed blood. Poverty, too, is an issue.

Most of the characters subsist on the fringes of society; several are homeless, and they especially are subjected to violent treatment. Drug and alcohol abuse are also factors in the characters' behavior: Simon is addicted to cocaine, Larkin is an alcoholic, and Ruben's dependence upon Simon has merely replaced his addiction to heroin.

Psychological problems also are almost universal in this novel. At one time or another, several characters question their own sanity. Charles Mercer is known — with good reason — as Crazy Charlie, and David Hutton is a victim of post-traumatic stress.

Characters such as Manuela Carrera and Hector Morales obviously are...