All of the stories in this anthology focus on the theme of politeness, specifically how it can be weaponized against marginalized people. For instance, the way women are expected to be polite when dealing with entitled men such as in The Man Outside by Simone le Roux and An Inherited Taste by Nadine Aurora Tabing, or how families can be the source of anger and frustration, like in Anger Management by J. Rohr and The Guest Room by R.L. Meza.