In creating realistic, believable young adults, Crutcher also treats subjects which might be controversial. For example, the characters discuss sex, although they make it clear that abstinence is actually normal. They also battle racism; Nortie even has a black girlfriend. All of the Stotans are very opinionated, often self-righteous, and, as a result, are very heavy-handed in their reaction to the white supremacist newspaper, the Aryan Press. They do, after all, push Marty O'Brian's car into a river and use force to get him to stop delivering the paper. Similarly, they rescue Nortie from his abusive father by threatening to create a major disturbance. Even so, the novel does suggest that such tactics do not solve problems for good, especially as the Stotans try to deal with Jeff's illness.

While Crutcher occasionally climbs on a soapbox, using Walker as his mouthpiece, he also questions the very...