Two intertwined themes throughout the novel are love and loss. Edward doesn’t understand true love until he has known true loss, and in this way the novel comments on the intrinsic link between love and loss. Edward begins the novel living in luxury and wealth. Although he is greatly loved by Abilene, the little girl who owns him, he is unable to return her love. During this time, he is best described as self-centered, thinking only of his comfort and vanity. It’s only when he is separated from Abilene and loses everything that he has that he begins to understand what it means to love.

For Edward, learning to love is a lengthy process. Although loss is the catalyst of that process, the various people he encounters kindle his awareness of what it means to love. When Edward lived with Abilene, he didn’t think deeply about her or his life. Instead, he was constantly distracted by his possessions, his clothing, and his own appearance. However, once he is separated from Abilene and his possessions, he begins to question the purpose of his existence for the first time.

Much of his questioning goes back to Pellegrina’s story about the princess who couldn’t love and was turned into a warthog as a result.