Haven’s men and boys continue to frame the world outside their community (“Out There”) as too dangerous to engage with. This perception of the world is well-founded––the boys and their families have experienced racism firsthand, and their desire to protect their community from it is reasonable. Somehow, though, that instinct for protection has grown paranoid and spiteful over time, until the founders of Ruby believe that the Convent is the greatest threat to the community they built. The name of the town itself, which was chosen by the women after one of their number died, suggests that women are more important to the town than Ruby’s men acknowledge.