When Andre moves to California, Raymond says that he has lost his only friend. How does this show that he is similar to Millie? How do Raymond’s circumstances change as the novel progresses?

Millie talks about how crime was intentionally moved from one section of New York City to another, causing the crime rate in the area where she and Raymond live to soar. Is law enforcement different in some metropolitan neighborhoods than in others? Why would criminal activity be moved from one area to another rather than being totally suppressed? What is gentrification?

Before he discovers Luis the caretaker’s fate, Raymond says that there was no positive reason for Luis to disappear. He even calls it a hopeless cause. Does the ending of the book confirm or negate the idea that Raymond was right, that there would be no happy ending whether he found Luis or not?