What is the theme in Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji-li Jiang?

Fear and paranoia go hand in hand as the major themes of the book. The period of the Cultural Revolution was a time of fear, confusion, and violence in which the rules and traditions of the Chinese society break down. Teenagers and college students roam the streets and accost people if they think they are dressed wrong. The Red Guards conduct searches of people's homes, as they do the Jiangs.