As the novel’s title, You Are Not Alone, suggests, one of its key themes is the way that loneliness and the need for connection impact individuals and their choices, sometimes leaving vulnerable people open to manipulation. The authors explore the effects of loneliness through Shay’s experiences and how the Moore sisters exploit lonely women to serve their vigilantism.

Loneliness is one of Shay’s defining characteristics at the beginning of the novel. She lacks a romantic partner, a social life, and a professional community. She is in love with her roommate in spite of the fact that he has a girlfriend. Shay feels an extreme sense of isolation and longs for meaningful connection, romance, and friends. Since Shay feels so isolated, she has begun to internalize her loneliness and believes that she is somehow unworthy of connection. She becomes increasingly insecure and, in spite of evidence to the contrary, perceives herself as a weak and unimportant person. Shay’s loneliness thus adversely impacts her ability to be self-reflective, as a more thorough self-examination would reveal to Shay that she is an intelligent, competent individual with a few close friends who truly respect and love her.

Shay’s loneliness also leaves her vulnerable to manipulation when she meets Cassandra and Jane.