Are You in the House Alone? offers a realistic and unsensationalistic account of the horror and loneliness typically endured by rape victims.  Richard Peck creates a story with believable and well-developed characters to allow readers to connect emotionally to the plight of rape victims in our society today, and to understand the disservice that society is doing by continuing to victimize women who are not at fault.

The importance of the title refers to the literal idea of a woman being home alone and vulnerable to attack.  However, it also figuratively refers to the rape victim being isolated from society and feeling alone in her grief and fear.