Heidi lives a privileged, though lonely, life. Her friendship with Jeffrey provides close contact with two social issues—homosexuality and homelessness—that are unrelated except for the fact that both impact her new friend. Jeffrey is comfortable with his sexuality throughout the novel. He is depicted as an effeminate, even flamboyant, figure who bleaches his hair, wears eye makeup, and is clothed in a woman's fur jacket. The author does not disparage Jeffrey's appearance, but merely points out that he represents just one kind of gay male. When Heidi asks how many kinds of gay people there are, Jeffrey replies, "How many kinds of straight people are there?" and points out that "the gay world is only a mirrorimage of the straight world" and is filled with many different people, some that have one partner and some that are promiscuous, some that are effeminate...