Love and Selflessness Theme Analysis

Bryon begins the novel thinking only about himself and Mark, and he relishes their routine of fighting, gambling, and stealing together. But over the year during which the book takes place, Bryon develops both maturity and deeper relationships with the women in his life—particularly with his girlfriend, Cathy, as well as his mother. In both cases, Bryon starts to think outside of his own perspective and tries to support Cathy’s and his mother’s needs. Hinton charts the growth of both of these relationships to suggest that being selfless and putting someone else’s needs above one’s own are natural outgrowths of love and respect within a relationship.

Initially, Bryon is portrayed as self-centered in his relationships, as he focuses only on his own desires and feelings. The very first chapter makes it clear that Bryon is the center of his own world. He and Mark only seem concerned with having fun and making money, which they do by going to bars, hustling at pool, and getting into fights. They quickly hop from one activity to the next when they’re bored, illustrating that their choices are based solely on their personal, immediate desires. While it’s clear that Bryon cares about Mark, Bryon seems to view Mark as an extension of himself—he even comments that they think “just alike, as one person.” Thus, caring about Mark doesn’t amount to selflessness, because they share essentially the same priorities and worldview. Initially, even Bryon’s romantic life is marked by this same selfishness. He discusses how he dated his ex, Angela, out of pride rather than out of love—he liked being seen with an attractive girlfriend. Bryon also admits to telling girls that he loved them without meaning it, and he notes that most of the time when he treated these girls badly, “it didn’t even bother [him].” Not considering their feelings illustrates Bryon’s immaturity and underscores the fact that he never truly loved them because, as he soon learns, love entails a greater selflessness and empathy towards one’s partner in a relationship.

When Bryon starts to fall in love with Cathy, he finds that he naturally becomes less self-centered because he genuinely wants to cater to her needs. When Bryon and Cathy get more serious about each other after a few months of dating, Bryon describes how he “had quit thinking only about [himself], quit pushing for all [he] could get.” This is a dramatic shift for Bryon, and it shows how love has a transformative effect on his priorities. Later, when M&M (Cathy’s younger brother and Bryon’s friend) runs away from home to live in a hippie house, Cathy starts to cry in front of Bryon. While it used to bore him when girls would cry, Bryon now says, “I felt really bad. It was the first time I’d ever felt bad for anyone except Mark.” Equating Cathy with his closest friend shows how much he truly loves her. And it’s because of this deep, genuine love that Bryon is able to access feelings of empathy that he’s never felt before. Not only does Bryon show his selflessness in being able to understand Cathy’s perspective and empathize with her, but he also supports her in other ways. He helps Cathy look for M&M every day after he disappears, and when Mark tells Bryon where M&M is, he brings Cathy there to find him. When Bryon and Cathy discover that M&M is having a bad drug trip, Bryon feels that M&M is “as much as much [his] little brother as Cathy’s.” Bryon carries him into the car and drives him to the hospital. Love transforms Bryon from selfish teenager to supportive partner—his love for Cathy naturally makes him want to be more selfless and support her and those she loves in any way he can. 

Bryon also supports his mother more after she has an operation, reinforcing the idea that when he truly loves and respects someone, he naturally prioritizes their needs over his own. Bryon loves his mother deeply—he often remarks on how much he appreciates not only her support, but also that she gives him and Mark a great deal of freedom and independence. But following Bryon’s mother’s operation, she has to stay in the hospital, and Bryon tries to support her in any way he can. He visits her in the hospital, and he sells anything he can think of (even their car and TV) to help pay her medical bills. His love and respect for her naturally extends to a desire to put her needs over his own. Bryon also tries to find a job to cover the cost of his mother’s operation, as she has to stay in bed for a month when she returns home and won’t be able to go back to work herself. Resolved to support his mother in this way, Bryon decides he needs “a haircut, clean clothes, and a really big change in attitude” and ultimately finds a job at a supermarket. In cleaning up his act, Bryon sacrifices some of his rebelliousness and tough identity in order to support his mother, once again illustrating how selflessness flows naturally in a loving relationship.

Bryon’s increasing selflessness and loving relationships provide a stark contrast to Mark’s unchanging egotism. Bryon expresses that Mark doesn’t care about anyone except Bryon, and at first, Mark and Bryon’s friendship seems easy and natural because they’re always on the same page—committing the same crimes, maintaining the same attitudes, and living the same lifestyle. But when Bryon begins to grow up and his priorities shift, it seems that Mark doesn’t even truly love Bryon anymore. Even though Mark’s selfish lifestyle might be satisfying, this life leads him to ruin, lands him in jail, and leaves him more isolated than ever. Thus, Mark’s journey just as much as Bryon’s reiterates that selflessness is a natural extension of love, and that Mark was incapable of either one.