What is the theme in Tricks by Ellen Hopkins?

The failure of parents to be good parents is also a blaring theme consistent throughout Tricks. For varying reasons, each of the parents in the novel fails their children in some way. For Whitney, her parents are simply distant and uninterested in her life. Whitney's mother favors Whitney's sister, Kyla, and spares no expense to show it. Whitney and her mother frequently clash, insulting one another and calling one another names. Whitney's father is away for most of the week, staying in San Francisco for work. He is not only emotionally but physically removed from Whitney's life because of this.