The loss of innocence in Trouble is primarily depicted through Henry, who undergoes several significant changes that help him see the world in a different way. The loss of his brother, Franklin, is in many ways the most important event that affects his innocence, as the death of a close family member is devastating. This loss is made far worse, however, as Henry gradually learns that his brother was not exactly the person he thought he was. The innocence here consists of Henry’s lack of knowledge about Franklin’s activities, as well as his own ignoring of the bullying to which he had been subjected.

The loss of innocence also applies to Chay, both within the action of the novel and the episodes he narrates from earlier times. When the young boy lived through in his own country, his youth was permeated with lost innocence, including the murder of his sister. His hopes for a better life in the United States were almost completely crushed when he got into the accident. Although he may have encountered racism before that, Chay’s perspective on American attitudes toward Asians was re-shaped by the attacks that he and his family endured, even though the legal system exonerated him.