“If you didn't grow up like I did then you don't know, and if you don't know it's probably better you don't judge.”

This quote is applicable any type of judgement, everything from judgment based on race, ethnicity, social class, nationality, clothing, and so much more. What I love about this book ( besides the relaxed language) is the fact that it expresses how judgements are a crucial and acknowledged part of how we construct our identities and our feelings associated with these identities.I know, this might be weird to say this because judgements are so... Judgmental. But to clarify, I mean preconceived notions of people (unfortunately, our society is based on these preconceived notions and is often times socialized into society whether we want to admit it or not). But if you think about, everyone's identity is constructed in reaction to something or someone else, whether it is from rejection or as a reflection of another group. These interactions allow us to notice differences between people and allow one to associate themselves with a group.  Now these identities aren’t always defined by us, rather projected by others who have the power to do so. In Oscar’s case, he was being judged as a man of color by not only mainstream society, but his fellow Dominicans. He lived life in a sort of limbo, not fitting completely into any category. If one is constantly being judge for what they are and what they aren’t, this causes major emotional and psychological problems (attempting suicide twice). As a society, we judge people on their differences, then tell people it's bad to judge and if it happens then ignore it, but then we don’t allow spaces for people to just be themselves, always insinuating that one identity always has to be associated with another.