Alienation and Otherness

Characters often feel alienated from their surroundings or are treated as 'other,' such as the wub being seen as mere meat, the man who thinks he's a plant in 'Piper in the Woods,' and the protagonist in 'The Hanging Stranger' who sees a body others ignore.

The wub is treated as an alien 'other' to be exploited, despite its attempts at communication and shared humanity.

The narrator feels isolated by his 'knowledge' and cannot share it with his family, highlighting the theme of being an outsider.

Loyce feels alienated as the only one who notices the hanging body and later realizes the townspeople are controlled by alien mimics.

The Pipers embody an alien, non-human perspective that offers an escape from the demands of modern society.