Survival
The characters in the novel all struggle to find enough resources and basic elements like food and water to survive. For them, the simple act of finding enough water is a task that requires at least one family member to walk each day a great distance to gather enough water. Finding a potable source of water is a problem for every character in the novel, and their lives are built around various sources of water like ponds or rivers. Survival is also an issue in regard to food, warfare, sickness, heat, and the perils of nature. Despite their hardship, the characters maintain a level of happiness and optimism that allow them to move forward and to never lose hope.
Family and Community
For the characters in the novel, family is the most important thing in the world. When the major character loses his family, the rest of the members of the tribe become his family. The tribe takes care of him even though they see him as a burden. This proves that in the community in which the characters live in, family, and tribe are the most important things in life.
War and Society
Salva lives in a time when his country is affected by war. Because of this, he is forced to leave the only home he ever knew and to live on the run for years, moving from one refugee camp to another. The war affected Sudan so much that it no longer mattered if those killed were women and children, and boys and young men were often swept up into fighting they did not want to take part in. The novel shows just how much war affects society and how the people living in a society change when their lives are in danger.
Perseverance
The obstacles Salva faces are formidable, to say the least. He is forced away from home, endures starvation and dehydration, almost has to fight in the war, almost drowns, and almost gets eaten by crocodiles. He loses not just family but also friends in his journey, and he wishes he could give up numerous times. Nevertheless, Salva perseveres. He isn't perfect, but he demonstrates a willingness to just keep going even though the situation is difficult and seemingly hopeless. He is an inspiring figure and one worthy of emulation.
Courage
Similar to perseverance, courage is one of Salva's salient attributes. It takes courage to remain on the move and not turn back. It takes courage to keep going after losing a best friend and an uncle. It takes courage to leap into a swiftly flowing river full of crocodiles. It takes courage to pick up burning feet to traverse an endless desert when everything in you is crying out to give up. It also takes courage to lead others when you don't feel like you have anything particularly special about you—which is how Salva feels when taking on the Lost Boys—and to speak in front of others when your English isn't perfect. Salva experiences real fear and anxiety before all of these experiences, showing he is not perfect, and thus encouraging readers to do the right thing even when it is hard or they want to give up.
Children as Victims
As with most wars, children do not remain unscathed. In the novel, Park shows how children in the Sudan fare when their elders are fighting. Salva and the other boys in his school are likely to be swept up into fighting for the rebels if they are caught. Children lose their parents and support systems, and they are often thrust out into the wild without anything to assist them. If they are lucky, they will fall in with helpful adults, but even then, the people who carry Salva with them are resentful of him.
Doing Good for Others
Salva would be perfectly within his rights to settle down in America and live a comfortable life. However, he is not content with that. He has a fire within him to help others, especially those in his home country. He does not want his community to suffer from poor drinking water and for children to lack basic necessities. He is grateful for the people who helped him along his own journey—the old woman, Uncle, Michael, Chris, and Louise—and wants to pay it forward.
