1. Brotherhood and trust
1.1. Makhaya and Mma-Milipede
1.1.1. You must never, never put anyone away from you...Because of this great burden, no one can be put away from you.
1.1.1.1. Trust = burden, but this burden makes you want to live on because you have duty and responsibility
1.1.2. He had only his own self, Makhaya, black dog, and that was all he trusted not to let him down
1.1.2.1. Makhaya only believes in himself
1.2. Makhaya and Gilbert
1.2.1. "'One man in a thousand will stick more close than a brother...'"
1.2.1.1. Gilbert believes that Makhaya is this "brother", and he is trying to tell him this through this poem, yet he doesn't know that Makhaya has lost all his faith in men
1.2.2. Some people would have been surprised and amused at Makhaya's many private speculations on Gilbert and also the exaggerated importance he attached to the personality of Gilbert
1.2.3. "He had no way of explaining to Mma-Millipede the real subleties of his relationship with Makhaya."
1.3. Makhaya and Dinorego
1.3.1. "You know, son,...I thought the day I met you: 'well there is a most suitable man to marry my daughter."
1.3.1.1. Dinorgo trusts Makhaya and takes him as part of his society even though he is a outsider
2. Faith
2.1. Mma-Milipede vs. Makhaya
2.1.1. "Goodness is impossible to achieve. I am searching for a faith" & "it's an understanding of life." P133
2.1.1.1. Mma-Milipede is a woman with strong faith, she trusts others, trusts that goodness do exist, this is her "understanding of life"
2.1.2. "His face was one of innocence and trust"
2.1.3. "But people who err against human life...are more blind than others to the mystery of life
2.1.3.1. always believes in the good of people
2.1.4. "...he had no God to clear up the rubble."
2.1.4.1. His sufferings made him lose his faith
2.1.5. "Violence breeds hatred and hatred breeds violence. Hatred can only be defeated by love and peace" vs. "the pholosophy of love and peace strangely overlooked who was in possession of the guns
2.1.5.1. The world is filled with contradtictions
2.1.6. "It meant that a white man could forever go on slaughtering black men simply because Jesus Chrsit would save him from his sins"
2.1.6.1. Religion in many cases is not very far away from descrimination, this is why Makhaya is confused since he doesn't know what to do when the old belief and the new belief are proven wrong by these contradictons
2.1.7. "I'm not neccessary to anyone...But if you think you need my help, I'll stay and help you."
2.1.7.1. Relying on someone is a sign of love and this dependence will make the other feel important and loved
3. lovers
3.1. Maria and Gilbert
3.1.1. "I don't care about myself, but nothing must harm Gilbert."
3.1.1.1. Eventhough Maria is saying that she doesn't know what she wants, this lines shows that she is deeply in love with Gilbert as he has became the first priority in her life
3.1.2. "A person has to get used to these strange ways"
3.1.2.1. If you truely love a person, you also accept or even love his flaws
3.1.3. "there was more than met the eye in the friendship between Maria and Gilbert. It has been of such a long duration..." P73
3.1.3.1. Mma-Milipede's opinion towards Maria and Gilbert
3.1.4. "Gilbert was a forign man, and foreign men were a fearful unpredictable quantity in an othewise predictable world" p73
3.1.4.1. The main obstacle Maria and Gilbert need to overcome. Gilbert is still viewed as an outsider
3.2. Makhaya and Paulina
3.2.1. For so long there was this grey graveyard in which he had lived. and who could tell what ghosts really do when they come alive in the dark night? P166
3.2.1.1. By offering Makhaya love, Paulina has elited a spark inside Makhaya, and this light is strong enough to avoid him sinking deeper into his despair.
3.2.2. "...Perhaps I'll find out what love is like as we go along together." P166
3.2.2.1. This happened after Makhaya talked with Mma-Milipede, in that conversation he had opened up his mind and is willing to accept others, while Paulina's offer is a great oppurtunity to start the change
3.2.3. "It wasn't a pleasant feeling as no promises had been made... lived in fear of the silence of a reserved man who only expressed himself in deeds" P168
3.2.3.1. Makhaya and Paulina are officially in a relationship, yet right now he shows no obvious changes as Paulina is starting to rely on Makhaya, Makhaya might be forced to change
3.2.4. "Loving a woman had brought him to this realization:...that it was only people who give love and happiness." P171
3.2.4.1. By aiming at the almost impossible Utopia, Makhaya learned only how to hate in the continuous dissapointments. Therefore he rejected others, but now Paulina has taught him to open up
3.2.5. "...she had been deeply frightened at the way he had walked up the steps of Matenge's house...he was like the wind or a fluid substance you could not hold on to." P198
3.2.5.1. Paulina really needs Makhaya, she fears that one day he would dissapear, this had forced Makhaya to stay strong and think possitive for the woman he loves
3.2.5.2. On the other hand, we see how much Paulina loves Makhaya for she worries so much about him
3.2.6. "She was the best of all women he had known - no sulk, no dead eyes, no dead anything about her."
3.2.6.1. Mkhaya and Paulina are polar opposites: Paulina is always lively and posstive while Makhaya lacks these qualities, this is probably why Makhaya is attracted to Paulina, but in this way they can also learn from eachother