Because the novel alternates a third-person close perspective for Stella and Michael, the reader can see how they each respond to the world around them. This includes their growing affections for each other, which they both deem themselves to be unworthy of. The novel’s climax and epilogue reinforce that self-love is just as important as being loved by others.

Stella is an attractive, accomplished woman who excels at her job. In the very first scene, the reader learns that she turned down a promotion because of not wanting to interact with people, an anxiety that stems from her autism. This is representative of Stella’s overarching feelings about her Asperger’s syndrome, which is that it is a negative thing and a constant source of anxiety for her. She hides it from people, including Michael. Quan only learns of her diagnosis because he sees her become overstimulated and asks her. Stella believes that her autism makes her difficult to love, if not unlovable. She dislikes being treated differently because of her autism, seeing accommodations as weakness. When she and Michael have their fight and end their “relationship,” Stella believes it is because of her autism, noting: “She understood at once he meant her, that she wasn’t enough for him.