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“Again and again, I told myself that my life would be better without Frank. But when my newborn son, Vincent, arrived in April 1983, I could not shake the thought that a household with two boys needs a father.”

Mona had to choose between clinging onto an abusive marriage or doing the right thing and leave. She can go two directions, the right way or the wrong way.

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“Finally, I made up my mind I would call, just to get information. I wrote out four or five questions so I would be less nervous. I practiced in my head what I was going to say.”

Mona felt uneasy about the thought of leaving Frank. She also struggled to accept  any help from her friends Osuna and Brown. It took her a couple of times to finally reach out to the shelter for battered women.

It takes courage and perseverance to stand up for yourself. Like how you need courage and perseverance to climb a mountain.

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"Frank Ruiz's shadow still touches my life. Every child must have a father, I believe, and I cannot deny my kids a chance to have Frank as part of their lives. Frankie Jr., especially, has found a need to build bridges to his father."

Family is an important factor to have in life. Mona believes that even though her relationship with Frank did not work out, she still wants to give her children a chance to know their father.

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"At work, I was an outsider with an attitude."

Mona got a part-time job as a filing clerk at the police station. But because of her background and appearance, Mona was treated differently. She was excluded from the group.

As you can see in this picture, one person is being left out from the rest of the people.

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“Hey, we’re gonna be a great couple, Mona, right? You and me, forever. You’ll see.”

Frank promised Mona that he and her would have a great future together. When in reality, later on in the book, he beats and abuses her. He wouldn't really be much of a father to her son either.
His promise was as empty as a theater with no people in it.

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"Funerals became almost monthly events. Death seemed to be everywhere, and, sadly, a lot of the homeboys didn't seem to care."

"Others I knew had died, but the lessons had never sunk in. Why? I knew the answer: This time I had felt the sting of the bullet myself. Death had touched me on its way to claim Oso, and that had changed me."

When Mona was still involved with gangs, she saw firsthand how much death was involved in gangs. And how it only got worse because of all the conflict.

"In September 1992, I was surrounded by death and pain and a feeling of helplessness that made me sick with grief. The papers called it the deadliest car crash in Orange County history, and it left a huge impact on our city and our department."

"Isela's death left me emotionally weak and pondering my own mortality. Was her murder a message for me? Oso's death was a warning to escape the gang life, so I wondered if this latest tragedy was a sign that the badge was too costly to carry."

While Mona was working in the police department, some of her cases included somebody dying. This causes her to doubt her position, because she wants to save everyone. However, the reality she faces is that she can't save everyone

Cemeteries and graveyards are where people hold funerals to send off their loved ones. As mentioned earlier, funerals were common occurrence when Mona still associated with gangs.