The Hero is set in contemporary times, the action centering on Dale's home in suburban Washington, D.C., and on Dr. Airman's private institute in rural Virginia. This proximity to the nation's capitol facilitates Airman's ominous ties with military and political figures within the highest levels of the American government. In Dale's mind, fond memories of his childhood life in Wisconsin are repeatedly contrasted with his current difficulties, to the point that the idea of Wisconsin itself becomes for him a kind of pastoral, carefree, and welcome alternative to the troubled time and place which he actually inhabits. This "doubling" of setting encourages Windsor's young adult audience to similarly contrast the often complex reality of teen life with the remembered simple pleasures of childhood.