The author builds a strong theme of fighting for humanitarianism and tolerance throughout the novel. Initially, protagonist Efrén is not directly involved in the fight, but is a witness to rumors of raids and arrests. He hears these when he helps Amá at the laundromat, but to him, the stories of Amá’s friends are more chisme (gossip) than fact. Soon, Jennifer inspires him at school; she shares with Efrén, “Mi mama no tiene papeles” (30), and that her worry about her mother’s undocumented status prompted her research into “undocumented families being separated. They had kids in cages […] and that really hurt” (29). Jennifer’s comparison to cage-free chickens and her mother’s Mexican saying about seeds stay with Efrén and serve as the foundation for the call to action he later feels.

After ICE deports Efrén’s mother, and throughout the rising action of the novel, Efrén holds on to hope that money and coyote arrangements will bring Amá home. He also, however, starts to feel a subtle urge to learn more about immigration, separation, and deportment conflicts on a larger scale. He turns to the internet, but his searches only raise more questions and prove to him that the problems are far-reaching and ongoing: “He clicked on articles—sometimes videos—of people being taken from the workplace, hospitals, even homes.