Race and Racism
Sachar uses Armpit's storyline to develop the theme of racial prejudice throughout Small Steps. We see the theme of prejudice first in Armpit's storyline: when he was 14 years old he was tripped in the aisle of a movie theater and then threatened for money. A fight ensued, and even though it was Armpit against a group of 17-18-year-olds who were likely white, it was Armpit who was sent to a juvenile correctional facility. He didn't start the fight, but because he was able to physically overpower them as a broadly built African-American boy, the situation and context weren't taken into account. The full consequences of this incident, and its effects on Armpit's psyche, become clear at the end of the book. When Fred corroborates Armpit's innocence, Armpit is surprised that it works and that people don't blame him for the violence that happened. Even though he was clearly innocent, he's surprised other people recognize that and believe him.
Control
Kaira is keenly aware of the control El Genius exerts over her life, from marrying her mother to choosing her stage name and controlling her wealth. It's clear to her that he'll stop at nothing to control her and keep her secluded from others. When we meet Kaira, she's lonely and has no one to speak to. She is isolated and can't even confide in her therapist because she feels certain that some of the adults in her life are El Genius' informants. Kaira even thinks (correctly, as it turns out) that El Genius is the one who wrote her death threat letters under the name Billy Boy to scare her into staying isolated from others and to allow him to hire Fred, her bodyguard, to keep watch over her.
Recidivism
Before Armpit's return to Austin, Texas, he stays in a halfway house. During his time there, a counselor warned Armpit and the other boys there that life would be worse when they returned home and that everyone would expect the worst of them. The theme of prejudice in Small Steps supports the theme of recidivism, because each reinforces the other. Armpit is subject to prejudice throughout the book, so much so that some of the attitudes people have towards him influence how he sees himself. For example, after Armpit's fight with Moses, he thinks that even he would cross to the other side of the street if he saw himself coming (p. 208). With other people constantly perceiving him as violent, he begins to see what they see. Further, at the airport when he isn't subject to a search because of his first-class ticket, he describes how he looks more dangerous than the men going through security. We see how the deck is stacked against Armpit: though he is trying not to do anything that would result in him being sent back to the correctional facility, people expect the worst of him, setting him up for failure.
A Whole Other World
When Kaira invites Armpit to come to San Francisco to spend time with her, he doesn't believe that it will actually happen. He can't imagine her world coinciding with his, as he believes she lives in a "whole other world" (p. 150, p. 155). Even when Kaira describes the problems she faces in her life, such as El Genius's control over her life, he labels her world as simply being fundamentally different from his. Sachar uses imagery and repetition to further develop the theme of a "whole other world" when Armpit leaves Austin and lands in San Francisco. A limo takes him to the airport and he's addressed as "Mr. Johnson" four times in one day (p. 214) and several people ask to hold his bag for him even though he only has a backpack. He breezes through airport security and gets special treatment because of his association with Kaira (p. 210-214). Armpit leaving her world is marked by him exchanging his first-class ticket to Texas for an economy one so he can fly home earlier after the attempted murder of Kaira.
Exclusion
When Armpit meets Mayor Cherry Lane, he remembers his father referring to her as a "tree-hugger." Armpit's father describes the mayor as being one of the environmentalist types who only care about the predominantly white West Austin which has nature preserves and hiking and biking trails while the poorer side of I-35, East Austin, is ignored (p. 3). This physical barrier separating the lush beautiful landscape of West Austin from the flatlands of East Austin develops the theme of exclusion. We see this theme again when X-Ray is upset that he doesn't win two Kaira DeLeon tickets from calling the radio station, and he says that his phone can't compete with the new fancy phones the white kids in West Austin have (p. 17). This further supports the theme of exclusion by illustrating how the division of wealth in Austin doesn't even allow for a fair chance of winning tickets; the people in West and East Austin aren't standing on equal footing.
Ego
El Genius sees his criminality as a sign of intelligence—he believes he shows signs of true genius because he recognizes the "opportunity" to frame Armpit for Kaira's murder (p. 194). El Genius argues that genius is about recognizing your opportunities, but fails to acknowledge his being able to embezzle Kaira's money has more to do with taking advantage of the trust of a young girl than having a keen eye for opportunities. This shows the dangers of having an inflated ego.
El Genius believes he deserves all Kaira has, and thinks she's easily replaceable and that he, not she, is the real golden goose (p. 195). Sachar supports this theme through his description of El Genius once we know his plans. Sachar describes El Genius as smiling "at his fat face in the mirror" after stealing items from Armpit's hotel room (p. 223). Further, when El Genius enters Kaira's hotel room to kill her, Sachar describes him as sticking "his large head inside" (p. 237). Sachar's use of imagery to describe El Genius's head and face contrasts El Genius's perception of himself in these moments. He's satisfied with himself for thinking to take evidence he can plant, but in reality, he's stealing dirty clothes from a teenager's bedroom. Sachar's description of El Genius as having a large head and a fat face (p. 237, 194, 223) is also supportive of the theme of ego, because having a big head is a metaphor for having a big ego.
El Genius's inflated ego prevents him from seeing the gravity of his actions. Even when he enters Kaira's room to kill her, we learn he's always been jealous of her having the biggest hotel suite. Not only does El Genius believe he deserves what Kaira has, but he thinks he has the right to kill her to obtain all that she has worked for.
Duplicity
Aileen, Kaira's tour manager, is having an affair with Kaira's business manager and stepfather El Genius. Together, they've successfully embezzled three million dollars from Kaira's trust account. For El Genius the plan is clear—he'll kill Kaira before she can fire him on her 18th birthday, stay with her mom for a few years so no one suspects him, and then divorce Kaira's mother and live out the rest of his life with Aileen (p. 195). Aileen goes along with everything, even though she is using El Genius. Not only does El Genius not know the extent of Aileen's embezzlement, but she sees him as a self-absorbed maniac whom she has no intention of sharing her "money or life with" (p.195). El Genius isn't privy to Aileen's duplicity, just as Kaira isn't aware of El Genius's deceit.
Sachar uses structure to illustrate the duplicity at play by having Kaira's point-of-view directly follow the unveiling of El Genius' plan to kill her and frame Armpit to avoid getting fired by Kaira. From Kaira's point-of-view we learn that she won't be telling her mother about El Genius's affair with Aileen—not for her mother's sake, but for her own sake. Kaira feels that she needs El Genius because "despite all her bluster" (p. 196), she'd be lost without him. Kaira has told everyone that she's going to fire El Genius after her 18th birthday, which is part of his motivation for murdering her, but in reality, she's willing to deceive her own mother to avoid losing him.
