Loyalty

The four members of the Frost High School swim team are fiercely loyal to one another and this loyalty is a central theme of the book. Their connection to one another is based on a mutual respect they have for each other, which becomes evident through the desriptions of Walker Dupree, the captain of the team and narrator of the story. Their bond is strengthened through the shared ordeal of Stotan week, the central event of the novel.

This loyalty takes many forms. When one of the team members gets in a fight, the others band together to avenge him. During Stotan week, when Lion goes overboard and takes on something grueling like bearwalking through the snow the others follow. Finally, when Jeff becomes gravely ill the remaining three swimmers decide to cancel the rest of their season in solidarity even though they each have good shances of...