The six main characters of Six of Crows are all outcasts who have either chosen to leave or been forced out of their childhood homes. Coming from disparate backgrounds, these characters are united by the fact they’ve had to fend for themselves, to survive on their own as teenagers in a cruel adult world. Throughout the novel, the protagonists struggle in different ways to either find a way to return home—or accept the fact they can never do so. In the end, they must redefine the concept of “home” altogether.

Kaz Brekker, the central character who brings together this crew of misfits, claims to have no home or family, proudly calling himself the “the bastard of the Barrel” (303). As the novel continues, readers learn that Kaz did have a home in Kerch, until his father and older brother both died, leaving Kaz alone in the dangerous Barrel district. Of all the characters, Kaz is perhaps most vehement in his rejection of the concept of home: He takes on a fake last name to hide any traces of his old identity and rids himself of all traces of empathy, transforming himself into the “monster” Dirtyhands. Even as Dirtyhands, Kaz holds onto his love for his brother and hopes to punish those who caused his brother’s death.