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 knows that it’s a risk to see Lidia again, but he wants to try. He borrows Rufus’s phone after they get on the bus (after confirming that the driver isn’t a Decker) and calls her. Lidia is incensed, but she agrees to meet Mateo and Rufus at the Travel Arena. They talk about how Penny just hit herself with a toy. They decide to hang up at the same time in case the Plutos try to contact Rufus.
Now that Mateo feels better about who he is and who he’s becoming, he understands that reaching out to Lidia again is a favor to her. Though his desire to protect her is admirable, asking to see her again allows Lidia to have the same experience Mateo is: savoring the day knowing that it’s Mateo’s last.
Themes
