Comparison and jealousy
The first theme of the novel is Larry's jealousy of Johnny. This is obvious because Johnny's girlfriend is the girl Larry fell in love with, but overall, this theme ends up being a minor theme. The theme seems at first to be Larry's tendency to compare his life to others. It seems at first that the right answer for Larry is to be at peace with his own life, because comparison is the thief of joy. But then, when we learn about Larry's past, the true theme here ends up being: "Don't judge people at all, because like Larry, perhaps they're dealing with real life traumas that most people never have to endure."
Trauma and loneliness
This book shows that the longest lasting pain from trauma (especially sexual trauma at the hands of one's own father) is loneliness, because the young victim was made to feel that if he ever said anything, that he would destroy their family—but that leaves the poor kid permanently isolated with a tremendous, horrific secret that affects him every single day, but which no one can ever see or understand until he tells them. Trauma makes him chronically lonely, and that's the major conflict of the novel: Larry's internal conflict about talking with someone about his past.
Friendship and the power of honesty
For Larry, this was not a broken, hopeless story, although it will certainly feel very dark to most readers. For Larry, this story was not hopeless at all, because he found a way to finally open up to someone about his most lonesome, private pains, and no matter what Johnny does, Larry knows now that he can indeed talk to people about the molestation, rape, and abuse he suffered from his own father. In other words, although it is painful and sad, the book is ultimately a picture of the hope of friendship, and the power of being honest with others.
