Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Dreamland, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Pain Management and the Normalization of Narcotics
The Drug Business
Stigma, Shame, and the Opiate Epidemic
Community as a Remedy to Addiction
Summary
Analysis
Mario, an undocumented immigrant and new Xalisco Boy, had previously worked as a mechanic in Portland, where Xalisco Boys were his clients. He eventually joined his former clients when the drug trade appeared more lucrative. Mario reiterates that the Xalisco Boys weren’t a cartel but rather a network of individuals running small businesses.
Mario’s description of the Xalisco Boys system as a series of small businesses emphasizes the economic forces at play in the drug trade.
Themes
Just as Purdue created OxyContin to be a “convenient solution to disruptive chronic-pain patients,” so too did the Xalisco Boys create a system that offered reliability, affordability, and convenience. Also like Purdue, the Xalisco Boys “didn’t sit around waiting for customers to come to them.” They offered deals and followed up with clients. Some Xalisco Boys realized how much OxyContin impacted their success, but most did not. In general, Xalisco Boys cared solely about earning money. This level of focus, combined with aggressive marketing and the presence of a new, available market, led to the Xalisco Boys’ immense success.
