Jeff says that his primary fear is that people will think that he engaged in sex with Ray willingly. He also fears that they will label him a "fag". Given the coercion he suffered and the mind-bending that occurred, his fears certainly seem legitimate.

But the homophobia that plagues Jeff's father, Vinny, and the boys at school seem way off the mark. If Atkins were indeed recounting the actual experiences of the boy kidnapped in 1972, this would be simply a sign of the times. But she sets her story in California in the 1990s, making the extreme homophobic attitudes of Jeff's peers seem unrealistic. Furthermore, sensitizing children and teenagers to the feelings of peers who have experienced severe trauma seems to be rather commonplace in school counseling practice in recent years, and the boys at school should have some awareness of what they are dealing with...