Novel as a "modern parable".

One of the main themes in the novel is faith in Jesus. Though Barabbas himself never gives his life totally to Christianity, he does come in contact with a number of people who have faith that Jesus will care for them throughout eternity. It's important to note that some of these people are confused during the early teachings. The hare-lipped girl, for instance, seems to believe that Jesus is going to provide food for the hungry on earth during their current lives. Whether she truly believes that or has simply been passing on the parables that she's heard is unclear, but she's eventually taken to task for her remarks. When she's being stoned in the pit, the girl reaches out to Jesus. Barabbas, who is watching, seems to believe that the girl sees Jesus, but is angry that Jesus didn't do something to help her. The girl has faith that she'll spend eternity with her Christ while Barabbas sees only the needs of today.