LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The 57 Bus, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Gender and Sexuality
Adolescent Crime vs. Adult Crime
Binary Thought and Inclusive Language
Discrimination and Social Justice
Accountability, Redemption, and Forgiveness
Summary
Analysis
“I’m on fire! I’m on fire!” Sasha yells as Jamal “howls with laughter.” On the bus it is pandemonium, and the passengers begin running for the exits. Nearby, another kid laughs, and the driver still has no idea that anything has happened. A man with a mustache leaps into action and “smothers Sasha’s flaming skirt with his coat.” It is over as quickly as it started. As the driver finally pulls over, Sasha gets off the bus in their underwear. “Oh, Lord. Fuck,” they say.
When Jamal “howls with laughter” this suggests that he, not Richard, is inherently evil. Jamal seems to be enjoying Sasha’s agony while Richard runs after the bus trying to figure out if Sasha is okay. Instead of trying to help Sasha, Jamal stands to the side and laughs, yet he is still never questioned by police and Richard is left to take the fall.