Paper Things

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of homelessness, stigma, and discrimination against people without a home, including violence and verbal abuse. It also contains content related to childhood bullying and bereavement.

Paper Things emphasizes the importance of community. It is a central source of support, hope, and comfort for Ari and Gage during one of the most difficult times in their lives. They rely on community to survive, for company and entertainment, and for the sense that they are not alone. Gage has a community of friends that rally together to support him even though he chose to leave home by his own will. These young adults understand and empathize with him, and they make time and space for Ari even though she is only 11 years old.

Ari and Gage rely on all sorts of social support during their time without a home. In this way, Paper Things details the help that is typically available for people without homes, but also the limitations of formal provision. The soup kitchen is where they often go for food, and a man named West at the Lighthouse youth shelter sneaks them in when they have nowhere else to sleep, risking his position there.