What are the motifs in The Lock Artist: A Novel by Steve Hamilton?

An important idea in The Lock Artist is Mike's ability to open locks, and this all begins because of his interest in the way they work. The summer before starting public high school, Mike's only distraction is an old lock on the delivery door that Lito replaces. Mike takes the old lock apart and repairs it; he wonders how different his life would be if not for that old lock which allowed him to find the moment when he moves the metal pieces and opens the lock.