Content warning: This section of the guide discusses suicide, incest, and sexual abuse of children and minors.

At the beginning of the novel, Holder obsesses over Les’s death and Hope’s disappearance, convinced that he carries the blame for not protecting either from their fates. Because of this, he feels that he doesn’t deserve love. In a letter to Les, he jokes, “I definitely need a reminder. Maybe I should get a tattoo” (45). As children, Holder gave Hope and Les, whose real name is Lesslie, the nickname “Hopeless.” When he comes back from Austin, a tattoo reading “Hopeless” is inked into his arm. The tattoo, symbolizing this early feeling of hopelessness and Holder’s belief in his unworthiness of love, highlights Holder’s character development by the end of the novel. The tattoo’s words along with the novel’s title, Losing Hope, are both refuted by the events of the novel. Once Holder and Sky have found one another again, Holder realizes that it was Hope’s father who failed her, not him. The novel ends with Holder finding both Hope and hope.

Holder often feels strong emotions and the desire to act on them. At his worst, these get him into altercations, especially when he senses that his loved ones are threatened.