Previous
Chapter 71
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Growing Up
Trust
Truth, Love, and Safety
Logic vs. Emotion
Perspective and the Absurdity of the World
Summary
Analysis
Christopher used to think that his parents would get divorced, because they argued so often about his behavioral problems, such as screaming, breaking things, and refusing to touch anything brown or yellow. He has fewer behavioral problems now, but his parents used to yell at each other and at him about the things he would do.
Here, Christopher reveals that even before his mother died, his life at home was far from ideal. He’s very aware of the central role that he played in his parents’ conflicts, though he doesn’t express guilt about it. He also knows what he has done wrong in the past and can see that he has matured over time.
Themes
