Throughout the novel, a host of characters struggle with self-acceptance. For some of the characters, such as Eric, the struggle is with physical appearance. Eric is devastatingly self-conscious while he is overweight; however, this issue continues even after he loses weight because he continues to define himself by his outward appearance. For Mark Brittian, the struggle towards self-acceptance takes another form, as Mark is not concerned with physical appearance but with image. Mark needs to be seen as perfect, as the straight-A student who is above fault or reproof. His suicide attempt is a signal that he would rather not live than admit his perfectly normal fallibility. Jody Mueller also struggles with self-acceptance, as she feels guilt over her abortion, guilt that Mark encourages her to feel.

Morality is a constant topic in Eric’s CAT class. For some classmates, matters of morality are cut and dry but Eric and Ellerby are reluctant to accept any easy answers or platitudes. Ms. Lemry encourages them to examine their own ethical leanings and to question what they think they believe. Eric and Ellerby are able to do this easily but others, like Mark, struggle and feel enormous discomfort in doing so.