The book talks a lot focuses a lot on selfishness. Mentor, who is the school teacher in the Village, is highly concentrated on throughout the entire book. He yearned to teach; but, now all he can focus on is what he can trade and what his appearance is like. He never reads poetry anymore and barely acknowledges his daughter, Jean, or even Matty. People are very self-centered at many points throughout the entire book. When a group of starving and wounded visitors came to the village, most of the villagers shunned them. They said that they had taken care of them long enough. Thankfully, there was still some loving humans still in the village who did assist the visitors and welcome them. Compassion is but another theme in this book. Matty sets
