Clivie’s story offers one of the book’s most pointed examples of the oppressive conditions that Aboriginal communities face; Clivie’s personal strengths are no match for the circumstances that conspire against him, and what might be shrugged off as a youthful mistake for a white child is considered unforgivably criminal behavior for him. From this example, Davidson understands even more deeply that what white people call “civilization” may actually be chaotic and nonsensical, even though it appears orderly on the surface.