The theme of togetherness, as in team work and in friendship, is very important in Torch. In this post-nuclear war world a sense of community or connectedness among the vast majority of people appears to have been lost; Dio and the other children, who join him on his crusade, are quite different from the others in this new world.

Even though it is Dio who is the Guardian of the torch, the others join him on his journey to the unknown either because of their feelings of friendship toward him, or, as with Cassie, because the torch has a feel of goodness. The values of truth, goodness, and beauty are interwoven throughout the travels of the children, and are symbolized by both the torch and the children. The torch burns brightly when all is well, and it ceases to burn when the motives of...