In the text,' The Girl With No Name' Matthew is changed significantly from a small naïve child, into an independent young man. He no longer simply accepts the prejudiced ideals his parents feed him. Through No-name he learns to deeply respect Aboriginals and their way of life. She helps him transform his old concepts of dirty, unintelligent `black fellas' into ones of excitement and admiration.

Matthew had never mixed with or even acknowledged the local Aboriginal community. `...The communities were places Matthew had always, without fully realizing it, looked down on...' this was mainly a result of the attitude of his overbearing father, who saw Aboriginals as, '...dirty and squalid...' When Matthew met No-name he suddenly realised that Aboriginals were not a race to be pitied or scorned. He grew to love and wish for their simple, carefree lifestyle, `...here was a different...