Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of homelessness, stigma, and discrimination against people without a home, including violence and verbal abuse. It also contains content related to childhood bullying and bereavement.

Ari’s paper things are the foremost symbol of the novel, especially since they are referenced by the title. They are a multilayered symbol of The Power of Hope, as well as The Necessity of Community. Ari started creating paper doll worlds out of catalog cutouts when her mother got sick. What began as a replication of her own family became an entire community of families and places. Ari loves the idea of a big family, something she never had, because there are so many people looking out for one another. Ari used to share her love of paper things with Sasha, but Sasha has outgrown them. When Ari plays with her paper things, she spreads them out as far as she can and becomes immersed in the imaginary universe: “Before long, I’m lost in my world of Paper Things” (40). Because Ari doesn’t have a permanent home for most of the story, inventing one is the next best thing.