Spinelli bravely addresses the issue of cruelty to animals. Cruelty to animals dulls the senses of the perpetrators so that their cruelty may turn toward humans. Caring for others and caring for animals help to form compassion in human beings. Some of the descriptions used by Spinelli in the pigeon shoot and the acting out by the gang may be offensive to some readers, but it must be viewed in the larger context of the message.