The ongoing political issues in Haiti, which become a central part of Levi’s life, are nothing more than background noise to Zora and Carl. For Levi and his Haitian activist friends, the political disturbances in Haiti represent the hypocrisy of the United States, which claims to support democracy but helped overthrow Haiti’s democratically elected leader—and on a more personal level, this issue of failing to live up to ideals also impacts almost every character in the novel.