The themes in Crutcher's book always deal with social situations and moral dilemmas. The issues of racism and tolerance, born in the first pages of Running Loose from 1986 through every page of 2001s Whale Talk, play heavy in Crutcher's books.

What does it mean to hate? Why do people hate? But more importantly, how do people stand up to or against prejudice? Those are the questions many of these stories attempt to answer. In particular, Crutcher seems most concerned with racial prejudice and homophobia. "In the Time I Get" deals with the issue head on with if not anger, then with a hard-nosed look, while Angus takes a more humorous, although not less effective look, at the same theme.

Hate, anger, and resentment occur not just in society at large, but in families, as Crutcher demonstrates in "The Pin." The role of family, in particular of...