Robinet explores racial inequality by showing how it affected whites and African Americans. After two centuries, whites fear for themselves because they recognize their dependence on African-American labor and worry about African-American freedom.

Robinet also shows how overcoming obstacles may require compromising other values. She seems sensitive to the value of honesty while she describes a situation which unfolds in dishonest ways. In this case, less-than-honest methods are used to bring about justice. Robinet is sensitive to the ethical questions involved in the plot,and she is careful not to condone dishonesty. As she points out, "Faced with Mississippi, he [Shortning] just had to do it this way [solve problems around the truth] sometimes." She shows the inherent dilemma in correcting a wrong by committing another wrong. Thus, Robinet depicts her characters as real human beings in real families who make difficult choices.