Throughout the narrative, the main character is asked to deal with a number of harsh realities: the deaths of his father and his best friend, addiction, physical limitations, and the reality of his own underestimated abilities. In each case, Seth is given the honest truth. Sharront minces no words when he tells Seth that Jimmy is dead. His mother confronts him with the reality that Jimmy has an alcohol problem. Even Todd expresses honestly that Jimmy has a problem that is bound to blow up in his face, as it does. There is an equal amount of deception in the novel as well: the deception of others and self-deception. One example is when Jimmy works diligently to persuade Seth that the drinking they are doing is different from Mr. Winter’s drinking. When Seth tries to deceive his mother or his coach, he inevitably fails. Though this motif, Deuker argues that honesty is the best way to deal with the harsher realities of life. Deception inevitably creates bad results for all involved.

Though they are mostly minor characters, the women in this novel are resolute and admirable. The most obvious example of this is