And indeed the character who attacks the child is himself homophobic. The general culture's homophobia is not presented in a sympathetic manner. Indeed the two boys who express it help aid in a homosexual rape. The author does a good job of expressing how rape as a way to put someone in their place as an inferior. How it expresses complete disrespect for the victim and how someone can despise someone and still feel sexually attracted to them. I thought the whole issue of describing a race as ugly and inferior while finding them sexually attractive was well described. This phenomenon exists in the US just look at Strom Thurman. I liked the way the book handled that.