10 Really Deep Things "Holes" Taught Me

"If only, if only" the woodpecker cries, the bark on the tree was as soft as the skies...

1. Hard work pays off

Sure, the success of "Sploosh" came from the lift of the curse or whatever, but you gotta give Stanley's dad (AKA Stanley Yelnats III) credit for never giving up on his (bizarre) dream of making stinky feet smell better. Persistence for the win!

2. Revenge isn't the answer

I mean, don't get me wrong, I was rootin' all the way for Kissin' Kate Barlow, but look where it got her. She ended up committing suicide-by-lizard, which was unique, of course, but still.. maybe she could have tried to pass a bill or something, or like, advocate against racism.

3. Karma, bitches!

Good, bad, everyone gets whats coming to them in Holes. It gives us the optimistic hope that eventually, karma will give those who deserve it a hug and everyone else a slap in the face. Or jail.

4. Perspective, man

While Stanley thinks his grandfather's curse has landed his family in the shitter, poor Zero... sorry Hector Zeroni, spent his childhood sleeping in the tunnels in the park where Stanley played. He can't even read and his mom's MIA. Stanley's all "Whoa, man, you win."

5. Everyone's existence matters

Every single person matters. The adults at this f'd up hole camp seem to think that because Zero's a child in poverty, without a home and without family, that his existence is inconsequential. Wut.

6. Love knows no bounds

Kate and Sam fall in love despite all odds. And Kate held strong to her love for him, telling the sheriff "hang me, too." Sure, it's not a.. happy... ending for them, but that just nails the message into you even more that love is the strongest drug out there.

"I can fix that."

Swoon.

7. Acceptance wins

Stanley accepting Zero even though he was different from him is what ended up in both of them succeeding in the end. Stanley gave Zero a chance when everyone just labeled him as dumb. And because of that, they both have a lot of money now and are happy. Because money makes things better.

8. Racism is stupid

I mean, I already knew that, but dayum, did Holes make me want to punch a wall. Or racist white men. They literally shoot Sam because he's black and kissed a white woman. What. The. Balls.

9. Destiny is real

Who'da thunk that a children's book/movie could so accurately serve to the notion that fate exists? The whole premise of "Holes" is reliant upon the idea that everything happens for a reason. As Stanley says when Zero reveals that he's the one who stole the famous shoes, "Destiny."

10. True friendship can get you through anything

Seriously, where would we be without friends? Digging holes in some desert where it never rains, that's where. The bond between not just Stanley and Zero, but all the boys, is what gets them through their miserable lives at Camp Green Lake.