What are the motifs in Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard?

Home and sense of place is a motif in this book. As soon as Jim is separated from his parents he begins what turns out to be an ever-broadening search for home. At first, he stays in abandoned houses in his neighborhood, then he moves to the docks with his beloved ships. When he is moved to a detention center, he is actually quite happy and he likes Lunghua camp even more than the detention center. When he is forced out of Lunghua, he makes every effort to return to Lunghua because it is his home.