The Lost Boy Themes

The main themes in The Lost Boy include child abuse, family, and home.

Child abuse: David’s removal from his abusive mother saves his life. The enduring psychological and emotional damage from the abuse causes David to act out.
Family: David does not consider his biological family to be his true family. Once in the foster system, David meets loving foster parents, but he does not find a true family until he marries and has a son.
Home: David is unable to find a true home, as foster homes are temporary. He finally finds a home with his wife and son.

The Lost Boy Study Tools

Child Abuse

Child abuse is one of the central themes of The Lost Boy. David's abuse at the hands of his mother is what causes him to become part of the foster care system, which saves his life. After he's taken from his mother, David begins the slow process of healing from the emotional and psychological damage caused by the abuse. This causes him to act out, which eventually lands him in juvenile hall. David's foster mother, Lilian Catanze, warns him of the consequences of his bad behavior. This helps David get his life on track. The foster care system isn't always a safe place, however. While living with the Joneses, David learns that Jody Jones has been accused of statutory rape. It's implied that these rape accusations are groundless.

Family

One could argue that The Lost Boy is one boy's attempt to find a family that loves him. Early in this memoir, David makes it clear that he doesn't think of The Family as his family, and he hates Mother for abusing him and stripping him of his identity. When David enters the foster care system, he finds loving, understanding foster parents, but struggles to find his true family amidst all the foster homes and children. Only at the end of the memoir, when David and his son look out at the Russian River, does David find his true family.

Home

Home is a fraught theme in The Lost Boy. When David is taken from The Family and The House, he enters an overcrowded foster care system that places kids in homes based on availability, rather than compatibility. David moves around a lot, often several times a year, and lives out of a brown bag for much of that time, because he knows that these "homes" are temporary. Eventually, he's able to find something of a home with the Turnboughs, but leaves it to join the Air Force. As an adult, he's able to make a home with his wife and son. Only then does he find peace.

The Law

David has many run-ins with the law in The Lost Boy, the first taking place in the prologue. David's first encounter with the law proves disappointing, with a police officer failing to notice the warning signs of abuse and believing Mother's lies about David being a bad boy. This sets the stage for all of David's future dealings with the law. Though the law and the associated foster care system are what save him from his abusive mother, not all of these encounters with the law are positive. He's falsely accused of attempting to burn down his school and is put on trial for the crime. He's sentenced to a hundred days in juvenile detention, including time served while awaiting trial. This scares him into becoming a model citizen.

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Summary

Characters