Alienation is a prominent theme in much of Abe's work. In The Man Who Turned into a Stick, it is exemplified by Hippie Girl and Hippie Boy, who symbolize the younger generation. Hippie Girl explicitly expresses their feelings of alienation by highlighting a generational divide between themselves and the man and woman from hell. She also straightforwardly states, "We're alienated."

These instances clearly illustrate Abe's theme, but there are more subtle examples as well. One such instance is the lack of communication between the father, who has transformed into a stick, and his son. The father has become estranged from his son, turning into something unfamiliar. Although the son calls out to him, the father cannot respond because he has become a stick.

As a stick, the man can hear others speaking, but they cannot hear him. When the Man from Hell suggests the man turned into a stick due to his contentment, Stick disagrees but is unable to express his objections. Furthermore, Stick cannot even form a complete understanding of his life for himself. He questions the Man from Hell's assumptions but provides no answers. This illustrates alienation as a separation from one's own thoughts.

This self-alienation is also evident when Hippie Girl struggles to remember her sister and the nicknames her siblings used for her. She becomes confused as she tries to recall, indicating uncertainty about her identity. She comments that everything is wrapped in puzzles, suggesting this includes her own sense of self.

Another aspect of alienation is the conflict between internal and external realities. This is depicted in the dialogue between the Man from Hell and Woman from Hell. The Man from Hell insists on recording only the factual elements of reality. He instructs the Woman from Hell to note the time, location details, the latest victim's ID number, and what he believes are accurate descriptions of the objects they examine. In contrast, the Woman from Hell is torn between fulfilling her duty with these factual descriptions and expressing her emotions, which lead her to empathize with the people she encounters. The Man from Hell views her emotions as an obstacle and insists she should learn to suppress or eliminate them.

The "Man from Hell" suggests that people become like sticks when they are content. This indicates that Abe perceives satisfaction as something negative, comparing it to sticks, which are lifeless and inflexible. To Abe, satisfaction represents a lack of change or even regression—a mindset that accepts the current state without striving for improvement.

Although the "Man from Hell" attributes the man's transformation into a stick to his satisfaction, it's interesting that the "Man from Hell" himself appears to be quite content. He is very committed to adhering to rules and insists that the "Woman from Hell" does the same. He doesn't question their actions and continues his duties without any inclination for change. When he gestures to the audience, calling them a forest of sticks, he doesn't consider himself part of that group. He dismisses the idea that the transformed man or his son might engage in self-reflection, yet there is no evidence in the play that the "Man from Hell" has ever reflected on his own life. If he has, there are no indications that he is anything other than satisfied with what he has concluded.

"Hippie Boy" and "Hippie Girl" engage in a conversation about setting goals in the play. They both admit to having none, with the girl proclaiming, "Aims are out of date." The "Man from Hell" tries to use their aimlessness to persuade them to hand over the stick.