Blood is thicker than water support

Most of the novel is in one way or another about the negotiation of family relationships, as family is the foundation of Maa culture and society. In other words, a person is seen first as a brother, daughter, father, and then (if at all) as an individual. Thus, each character's identity is inseparable from their role within the family unit. This is what makes Resian and Taiyo's decision to leave all the more dramatic. In leaving Nasila, they leave behind all the bonds of their extended family and all social ties, apart from the bond between the two of them.