What are the motifs in Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell?

Prejudice and bias are recurring ideas. Underlying the violent crimes that Wallander investigates is a difficult issue of prejudice in Sweden. The first indication of this is Maria Lövgren's deathbed mention of the word "foreign." Instead of being pleased to get a new clue to work with, however vague, Wallander is troubled. He knows that the mention of possible foreigners involved in the crime will cause a public uproar. He wants to suppress the information in order to quell possible anti-foreigner sentiments. Racist crimes are part of the new world that Wallander dislikes, including burning crosses in front of refugee camps.