Racism

Racism is an important theme seen throughout the book and that theme becomes more pronounced as the war between the rival gangs escalate. There are several shootouts during the early part of this war and they get news coverage, but that coverage is ramped up when the fight takes place in the train station. Everyone notices that the situation gains that increased attention because the war is no longer confined to the black neighborhoods and has now touched the lives of the white population of Boston.

These black and white neighborhoods are another example of this theme. There's a big difference between “Jenna Angeline's Dorchester” and the Dorchester where Patrick grew up. There's a clear line between the black part of the neighborhood and the white part, and there's no intermingling. Patrick notes that the people in the white Dorchester have a strong sense of community...