The most important theme that Robert Cormier conveys is that terrorism is unjustifiable. Overall, he uses the scenario of a group of children held captive to emphasize the innocence of all victims of terrorism.

A related theme is the nobility of sacrifice. Kate primarily exemplifies this theme. Even though she knows there will be risks, the young bus driver is prepared to drive the buss off the road in order to foil the plot. She could lose her own life and some children might die, but it would save the majority of them. A mechanical problem prevents her from carrying out the plan. She further understands that if this action fails, she will have made herself a target, which does occur.

Ben also embodies the sacrifices made. Although he did not realize his father was cold-bloodedly manipulating him, Ben is still willing to take a risk for the greater good, but ultimately, he cannot handle the truth. Another theme is the false seduction of noble causes. Milo best represents this theme. Convinced that the group’s reasons for conducting the assault are justified, Milo not only endangers and drugs little children, but turns against his own relative (Kate). His mixed motives for joining include self-aggrandizement, however, not just embracing a noble cause. At the other extreme, Mark, the colonel that is Ben’s father, acts out of patriotism and against terror, two causes he believes in; he likewise betrays his own family, but differently from Milo, he takes his own life in response to his failure.

After the First Death is a 1991 young-adult novel by Robert Cormier. It involves the terrorist hijacking of a bus full of children.

The main theme of the book is morality. Miro, the teenaged terrorist, believes that his cause is moral and that he is justified in his actions for his homeland (which he has never seen). Miro believes that even violence against children is justified because of the propaganda he was taught, and that he will be respected in the eyes of his fellow terrorists by his actions. His morality is questioned throughout the novel, as is his dedication to his cause.

Another morality question comes up with Mark, the anti-terrorist General who sends his son Ben into the bus to negotiate. Mark deliberately gives Ben incorrect information, allowing Mark to set up a trap that is ultimately successful, although at the cost of lives and Ben's own innocence. Mark believes that his actions, which harmed a few but saved many, were moral and correct, even as his own son was irreparably hurt by his decision. Mark wages an inner war with his own conscience, unable to fully justify his actions, even though he was able to (mostly) thwart the terrorist plot. The following dialogue plays out in Mark's head:

You were serving your country. Serving it in your way just as I was serving it in mine.
Is a country worth that much, Dad? How could I have gone through life knowing what I had done? Knowing that my cowardice had served my country. Where did that leave me, Dad?
I'm sorry, Ben. I was sorry as soon as I told you.
(Cormier, After the First Death, Google Books)

We see that Mark is conflicted, and although he is truly sorry for what he had done, he would do it again to serve his country. Mark sees himself as moral, just as Miro does, but Mark is more willing to sacrifice to win.