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Mateo, 12:58 p.m.
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in They Both Die at the End, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Mortality, Life, and Meaning
Human Connection and Social Media
Choices and Consequences
Friendship and Chosen Family
Business, Ethics, and Dehumanization
Summary
Analysis
Just over 12 hours ago, Rufus learned he was going to die. Now, he sits on the curb hugging his knees, terrified. There are firefighters and cops at the scene. Rufus thinks that Deckers need to start identifying themselves so they can avoid being in large groups. He and Mateo could’ve died. Rufus knows now that although he thought he made peace with the fact that he’s going to die, he’s never been more afraid of dying.
Seeing so many other people die makes dying real for Rufus in a way that it wasn’t just a few minutes ago. He’s also realizing that even if he and Mateo don’t purposefully take risks, they can’t predict that something like this won’t happen. They only have so much control over their final day.
Themes
