Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism, gender discrimination, sexual violence, rape, graphic violence, illness, death, physical abuse, and emotional abuse.

The story takes place in the 1990s before terms like toxic masculinity and positive masculinity became a part of cultural discourse in the US. However, the terms provide a clear way to understand the characters and the central theme that the characters illustrate. The book pits Cross against Casanova and Rudolph. Cross is the laudable hero (positive masculinity), and Casanova and Rudolph represent the villains (toxic masculinity). While a person can be toxic regardless of their gender, the story highlights cis males, with Casanova believing men have naturally violent desires. Casanova’s belief reflects a dangerous stereotype that excuses male violence by portraying it as inevitable rather than a choice. Kate advances Casanova’s ideas in Chapter 91 when she reads an essay about men’s allegedly suppressed desires. The story becomes a battle between two different types of manhood, with Cross’s decent version of masculinity triumphing.

The theme manifests through the literary device of juxtaposition, with Patterson contrasting Cross’s behavior with that of Casanova and Rudolph. While Cross is earnest and compassionate, Casanova and Rudolph are brutal and deceitful.