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Mateo, 5:20 a.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
Rufus admits that he wishes he could have one last meal with the Plutos. At the very least, they could text him back. He tosses Mateo his helmet and tells him to stand on his bike’s back pegs; Tagoe always did that. Mateo tries, but then he leaps off and says he thinks they should walk. Rufus considers riding off alone, but he decides to walk next to Mateo.
Rufus could easily choose to go on without Mateo, but he’d be alone if he did that. At this point, even if Mateo is cramping Rufus’s style, it’s still more important to Rufus to stay, be with another person, and work on their friendship on his last day.
Themes
