Symbol for danger
When Hiro goes to pick the pizza from the warehouse, he sees from a distance smoke coming from the building. The smoke is important because it is used as a symbol to suggest the idea that Hiro lived in a dangerous world where he sometimes has to do illegal things to survive.
Information means money
One of the common motifs found in the novel is the idea that information, when used correctly, can bring a lot of money. Because of this, Hiro becomes a hacker, hoping to find information that will make other people want to either buy the information of to make Hiro continue keeping the information a secret.
Crashing cars
One of the common motifs in the novel is the idea that Y.T., the delivery girl who has a habit out of latching herself onto cars to reach her destination faster, ends up causing a few accidents because of her habit of harpooning neighboring cars. The first car she crashes in the novel is Hiro’s car and then, in the same day, she makes another car crash into a wall while trying to get away from her.
Great swordsman
Another important motif in the novel is the idea that Hiro is a great swordsman. Hiro is the first one in a list ranking the best swordsmen in the metaverse and he mentions frequently the fact that he is the best swordsman. This detail is important because it appears frequently in the novel and because it is linked directly with Hiro’s identity and is one of his most evident traits.
Social outcast
When Hiro meet with Raven for the first time, it was in the metaverse and the avatar Raven used was quite nondescript, just a tall figure with a black face. In the real world however, things were completely different. When Hiro first sees Raven in the real world at the concert, the first thing he notices is that the Raven has a tattoo on his forehead. The tattoo becomes a symbol for danger since Hiro mentions that many areas in the country use tattooing as a form of punishment. Thus, the tattoo symbolizes the fact that the Raven is a dangerous character and that those with whom he associates with know about his true personality and persona.