Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in They Both Die at the End, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Mortality, Life, and Meaning
Human Connection and Social Media
Choices and Consequences
Friendship and Chosen Family
Business, Ethics, and Dehumanization
Summary
Analysis
Mateo leaps into bed and feels immediate relief. He returns to reading the CountDowner’s post. The Decker’s name is Keith; he preferred running with his dog to spending time with people. He was trying to find his dog a new home but went on a run. The feed stopped somewhere in Central Park. Mateo doesn’t know how Keith died or if the dog died too. He opens up Space Sounds, a collection of songs that NASA created—they were able to record the sounds of planets. He plays the Earth track and reads more CountDowners.
At this point, it’s far more comfortable for Mateo to stay at home where he feels safe and connect with people online. Wondering what happened to someone like Keith is easier and less stressful than trying to make decisions about what he’s going to do with his own last day alive. For now, social media is a crutch that Mateo uses, but it’s not a substitute for real human connection.
Themes
