Destruction of Nature
This theme presents itself as a through-line in the play. Rooster has been given eviction notices, as the community is demanding he leave so that a new community of homes can be built. For this to happen, the forest has to be cut down, and with it, anything that belongs to the forest including Johnny 'Rooster' Byron. It is a parable about people who seek to destroy what they don't understand.
Secrets
The theme of secrets is held throughout the play in different way. First, the people of the community who are seeking to evict Johnny from his caravan know him, and many know him in the biblical sense. Rooster implies that they want him gone in order to keep their secrets rather than keep him around, a man who has participated in their deceits (including but not limited to adultery). Second, Johnny seems to have a secret that no one can quite put their finger on. He tells Dawn to look into his eyes in order to look for something specific to tell her who he is, which she sees and it is something tangible she finds. Byron then tells of meeting a giant and having a drum to bang from him to call on them in a time of trouble; also Rooster's card seance with Troy when he was younger and finally Byron calling out a curse upon anyone who destroys him. There are power to give live and take it within the secrets of this play.
The Safety of Children
Byron is seen throughout the play with multiple teenagers who hang with him to party and do drugs. Rooster doesn't want them to be there, calling them rats at times, but also implies that these kids are safer with him than they are at their own homes. This theme is razor sharp in the relationship with Phaedra, a 15 year old girl who has run away, and her stepfather, Troy, who it is implied abuses her. Johnny has kept Phaedra hidden in his caravan from Troy.
