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Community and Loyalty
Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Hate U Give, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Hate U Give depicts gangs, drugs, and violence as largely the result of lack of opportunity. The deck is stacked against many residents of Garden Heights, who may turn to gangs and drug dealing as their only means of supporting their loved ones and protecting themselves. This, in turn, traps the community in a vicious cycle of poverty and crime.
The cycle of crime is especially evident in Maverick, whose father was one of the biggest drug dealers in Garden Heights. Maverick was born into a life of “kinging” and joined the gang at just twelve years old, he tells Starr and DeVante, because “that was the only way to survive.” For Maverick, joining a gang was, ironically, the best means of protection from gang violence. “Somebody was always coming at me ‘cause of my pops,” he continues, “but if I was a King Lord I had folks to watch my back.” DeVante echoes this sense of security when he tells Starr, “With King Lords, we had a whole bunch of folks who had our backs, no matter what.” He appreciates the community and protection that the King Lords offer, even as they contribute to the insecurity of the neighborhood on the whole. Further illustrating the need for alternative forms of protection in Garden Heights is the fact that, after a brick is thrown through the Carters’ window, King Lords help protect the Carter family when the police can’t (or won’t).
Even for those not so explicitly born into crime, Thomas creates nuanced portrayals of characters who choose to sell drugs even when they can see the harm this has on their communities. At first, Starr cannot understand why Khalil would sell the same drugs that have ruined his mother’s life. DeVante explains Khalil’s specific motivations—paying back his mother’s debt to King—and also the broader pressures created by poverty. “Nobody likes selling drugs,” he says, “But I hated seeing my momma and my sisters go hungry, you know?” Once a part of that world, however, it is nearly impossible to get out; Maverick had to go to prison to escape, becoming a felon in the process—another mark against him in society that makes it even more difficult to get a job and support his family even years later.
It’s important to note that Thomas also highlights her characters’ resiliency and strength throughout the novel, painting a picture of a community defined as much by perseverance as oppression. In illustrating the cycle of poverty and crime, however, she rebuts the common racist narrative that her characters’ circumstances are the result of personal failings rather than broad, systemic injustice. The novel thus suggests that, unable to trust police and largely abandoned by the rest of society, Garden Heights has been forced to create its own system of economic opportunity and justice. The irony, of course, is that this system—powered by gangs and drugs—further entrenches Garden Heights in the issues its residents want to escape.
Related Themes from Other Texts
Compare and contrast themes from other texts to this theme…
The Cycle of Poverty and Crime ThemeTracker
The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of The Cycle of Poverty and Crime appears in each chapter of The Hate U Give. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
How often theme appears:
chapter length:
Chapter
Chapter 1
1
Chapter 2
2
Chapter 3
3
Chapter 4
4
Chapter 5
5
Chapter 6
6
Chapter 7
7
Chapter 8
8
Chapter 9
9
Chapter 10
10
Chapter 11
11
Chapter 12
12
Chapter 13
13
Chapter 14
14
Chapter 15
15
Chapter 16
16
Chapter 17
17
Chapter 18
18
Chapter 19
19
Chapter 20
20
Chapter 21
21
Chapter 22
22
Chapter 23
23
Chapter 24
24
Chapter 25
25
Chapter 26
26
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The Cycle of Poverty and Crime Quotes in The Hate U Give
Below you will find the important quotes in The Hate U Give related to the theme of The Cycle of Poverty and Crime.
Chapter 1 Quotes
Garden Heights has been a battlefield for the past two months over some stupid territory wars. I was born a “queen” ‘cause Daddy used to be a King Lord. But when he left the game, my street royalty status ended. But even if I’d grown up in it, I wouldn't understand fighting over streets nobody owns.
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After driving away from Big D’s party, Khalil suggests that the gunfire he and Starr heard was probably the result of a fight between rival gangs the King Lords and the Garden Disciples. This moment introduces the reader to these two groups, which tightly control life in Garden Heights and will reappear throughout the novel as sources of both terror and community. This is also the first time Starr mentions that Maverick used to be a King Lord, and his leaving the gang foreshadows DeVante later trying to do the same. The fact that Starr was once a “queen” further Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates
Listen! The Hate U-the letter U-Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody. T-H-U-G L-I-F-E. Meaning what society give us as youth, it bites them in the ass when we wild out. Get it?
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While driving Starr home after Big D’s party, Khalil explains rapper Tupac Shakur’s definition of the phrase Thug Life. This quote gives the novel its title and reappears throughout the text to underscore Starr’s growing commitment to the fight for racial justice. Tupac is describing the cycle of poverty and crime in many black communities: society criminalizes black youths, robbing them of both innocence and opportunity. When these children grow up, they are often forced to turn to gangs, drugs, and violence to survive and harbor resentment towards the system that granted them no other choice. A direct manifestation of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accu
Chapter 4 Quotes
But I swear I wanna cuss Khalil out. How he could sell the very stuff that took his momma from him? Did he realize that he was taking somebody else's momma from them? Did he realize that if he does become a hashtag, some people will only see him as a drug dealer?
He was so much more than that.
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Starr, Lisa, and Maverick visit Mrs. Rosalie, Khalil’s grandmother, shortly after the shooting. There, Mrs. Rosalie confirms that Khalil was selling drugs and had wanted to ask Maverick for help. Starr is heartbroken to learn that Khalil contributed to a practice that has caused so much pain for their community. Further complicating matters is the fact that Brenda, Khalil’s mother, is addicted to drugs, and before his death Khalil was forced to care for both her and the rest of the family. Later Starr will learn that Khalil only sold drugs to repay his mother’s debt to King. Regardless, Khalil’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rer
Chapter 12 Quotes
[Tupac] explains Thug Life like Khalil said he did. The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody. ‘Pac spells out “Fucks” because that kid is looking dead in his face. When Khalil told me what it meant I kinda understood it. I really understand it now.
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After being called a coward by Kenya for not speaking up more on behalf of Khalil, Starr creates a Tumblr blog called The Khalil I Know to honor the side of her friend that the media has not been showing. Her goal is to emphasize that Khalil was so much more than a drug dealer or a “thug,” and that, regardless, his life mattered. She is touched to see many people like her photos and add their own, and surprised when someone posts a video clip of Tupac defining “Thug Life.” His explanation aligns with what Khalil told Starr in Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non i
“That's the so-called gun,” Ms. Ofrah explains. “Officer Cruise claims he saw it in the car door, and he assumed Khalil was reaching for it. The handle was thick enough, black enough, for him to assume it was a gun.”
“And Khalil was black enough,” Daddy adds.
A hairbrush. Khalil died over a fucking hairbrush.
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While sitting in the Just Us for Justice Office, Starr expresses concern about answering the District Attorney’s questions regarding Khalil’s death. For one thing, she says, she does not actually know whether or not he had a gun in the car. April Ofrah then reveals that the alleged gun the media has been talking about was really just a hairbrush. Upon hearing this, Starr is newly outraged by the senselessness of Khalil’s death. Importantly, Maverick also points out that One-Fifteen would not have mistaken the hairbrush for a gun were Khalil not black; the officer was blinded by racist assumptions Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minu
“I've tried to forget it, but I remember everything. The shots, the look on Natasha's face. They never caught the person who did it. I guess it didn't matter enough. But it did matter. She mattered.” I look at Ms. Ofrah, but I can barely see her for all the tears. “And I want everyone to know that Khalil mattered too.”
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While in the Just Us for Justice office, Starr opens up to April Ofrah about witnessing Natasha’s death six years earlier. Natasha was killed in a drive-by shooting in front of Starr, and Starr suggests that authorities did not care enough about the life of a black child killed in a dangerous neighborhood to pursue justice. Starr’s words in this moment directly echo the name of modern protest movement Black Lives Matter, created in response to police brutality against black communities. The use of the word “matter” reflects the lack of attention paid to the deaths of black individuals and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae
Chapter 14 Quotes
Funny. Slave masters thought they were making a difference in black people's lives too. Saving them from their wild African ways. Same shit, different century. I wish people like them would stop thinking that people like me need saving.
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In his television interview, One-Fifteen’s father asserts that his son “loved” working in Garden Heights and wanted to make a difference in the neighborhood. Starr, who is watching the interview alongside Hailey and Maya at Maya’s house, scoffs at this attitude, asserting that it is based on the racist idea that black people are inherently inferior and in need of outside help. She compares it to the backwards thinking that allowed slaves owners to believe they were saving their slaves from lives of savagery. Starr knows that many residents of Garden Heights, including her father and Ms. Ofrah, are already Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendi
Chapter 20 Quotes
Hailey hands me two pictures. One is Khalil's thugshot, as Daddy calls it. One of the pictures they've shown on the news. Hailey printed it off the internet. Khalil wears a smirk, gripping a handful of money and throwing up a sideways peace sign.
The other picture, he's twelve. I know because I'm twelve in it too. It's my birthday party at this laser tag place downtown. Khalil's on one side of me, shoveling strawberry cake into his mouth, and Hailey's on my other side, grinning for the camera along with me.
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Starr approaches Maya and Hailey outside the latter’s locker at Williamson, and Hailey immediately accuses Starr of being a liar for pretending not to know Khalil. The photos she then presents as evidence exemplify how the world flattens the humanity of black individuals and is quick to portray black youths as criminal. The news has chosen to share a less flattering photograph of Khalil in order to bolster the narrative that he was a thug who deserved to be shot. Starr, however, knows that the photo simply shows someone who never had money and was excited to finally hold some Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta i
Chapter 26 Quotes
He said Thug Life stood for “The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody.” We did all that stuff last night because we were pissed, and it fucked all of us. Now we have to somehow un-fuck everybody.
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The morning after the riots in Garden Heights, Starr sits in her bedroom in the Carters’ new house and looks at the Tupac poster she has put on her wall. The poster was the first thing she put in her new room, and is her way of keeping Khalil with her. Tupac’s quote has appeared throughout the novel multiple times at this point, as a sort of link to Khalil and reminder of the cycle of poverty and crime in black communities. Now, Starr has grown to the point that she not only understands Tupac’s quote but feels compelled to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor
It would be easy to quit if it was just about me, Khalil, that night, and that cop. It's about way more than that though. It's about Seven. Sekani. Kenya. DeVante.
It's also about Oscar.
Aiyana.
Trayvon.
Rekia.
Michael.
Eric.
Tamir.
John.
Ezell.
Sandra.
Freddie.
Alton.
Philando.
It's even about that little boy in 1955 who nobody recognized at first—Emmett.
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The final moments of Thomas’s novel connect Starr’s story to the real world. Starr lists the names of actual victims of police brutality whose deaths have spurred nationwide protests against racism and the criminalization of black communities. Listing these names together asserts that none of these incidents were isolated, and that they must be understood as part of a larger system of oppression. At the same time, each name represents a unique individual whose life—like Khalil’s—mattered. Starr’s mention of Emmett Till at the end then reveals the deep roots and long history of the injustice against which she vows to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae vol
