The motivations for the characters in Virtual Vandals actually stem from our present era: exploitation of the poor by the rich ("Rich kids are always ready to use you," asserts Leif), diplomatic immunity protecting people who commit crimes such as murder ("Nothing like a little diplomatic immunity to make a person completely irresponsible," says Leif), young adults with too much free time on their hands, vandalism of all kinds, and the excuse that being unhappy justifies hurting others. Although Virtual Vandals is primarily a thriller and not a social treatise, it handles its social issues with some complexity—heroes and villains are not easily distinguished, and no particular social group is all good or all bad.

For instance, the teenagers who vandalize the virtual baseball exhibition are spoiled, selfish, and angry—but they cannot be labeled as entirely evil. For example, Caitlin is part...