By rooting this story in characters who are introduced to the readers in their pre-adolescence, the book reminds the reader that this story happened to people who were still learning about what life was like. They are passionate and young, even the top dogs in the narrative. As youngsters, their "dream" about the neighborhood is shaped by the local culture, and as they spin their wheels trying to figure out what they want, they also are forced to react to strong influences in the neighborhood who have complicating interests.
As the novel unfolds, the characters are shown to be petals of the same flower, one that blooms and then wilts. One interesting aspect of this duality between individuals and their community (a kind of petal-to-flower comparison of the part to the whole) comes when the reader tries to figure out what is the ethical principle that guides Chino in this journey. He often betrays his wife while convincing himself that he is sacrificing for them. Can one sacrifice honesty in a virtuous way? The novel seems to suggest that Chino is unsure about this conundrum himself.
The novel has elements of a social novel, because courtship and the various pitfalls and scandals which are involved in courtship are a major part of how these characters entertain themselves, but overlaid on top of that courtship is the real threat of violent death, made all the more likely by passionate, youthful kids who feel they have to prove something. In fact, many people do end up dying, which makes for a dual experience of pity and fear; the book is a tragedy.
