Dau constantly examines the effects of the cyclic repetition of displacement and refuge on himself and the other Lost Boys. The diaspora of the Southern Sudanese boys causes the collapse of families and hometowns, and overwhelms refugee camps. For the Lost Boys, the constant displacement creates a psychologically damaging instability; some boys develop post-traumatic stress disorder and struggle to cope in society; others, like Dau, resolve to use their experiences to build a better future.

When Dau relocates to America, he is cognizant of how he has been blessed with a future. In Kakuma the options for a future are limited. Although the residents have access to a primary education, acceptance into secondary school requires strenuous testing. Furthermore, residents aren’t allowed to work for money, which leaves them no way of sustaining themselves and renders them dependent on the goodwill of those in charge. Due to these factors, Dau realizes that the only way to build a future is through education, and so he pursues a college degree in America.

Dau describes African refugees as victims—victims of the oppressors who cause them to be refugees in the first place, victims of circumstances they are powerless to control, and victims of discrimination from those in power.