One example that highlights the theme of home and abroad in "The Beach of Falesá" is the marriage of the protagonist John Wiltshire to the Island native Uma. Such unions were not uncommon in the colonies or the South Seas, in a way that would not have been possible at home because of the cultural prohibition of "miscegenation."

Another example of the theme of home and abroad is the power that the rogue character Case is able to exert over the native population through his manipulation of their belief in the ever-present influence of spirits and the supernatural. Although the use of luminous paint and other conjuring tricks was not unheard of in England at the time, it could hardly have been used to fool an entire society, as happens on the island.

Another home and abroad example is Wiltshire's relative lack of concern for the legal or other consequences of plotting to blow up Case's temple in the jungle, where Case beguiles and enchants the natives. When Case confronts Wiltshire and a fight ensues, Wiltshire kills Case and ends up living contentedly on another island. Such things can happen abroad with far fewer risks and consequences than in England, where plotting to blow up a man's construction and killing him when he resists would likely not go unpunished.