Throughout the novel, "The Simple Gift," by Steven Herrick, the theme of belonging is supported by gift giving between the three main characters; Billy a 16 year old boy who ran away from his bad home life to become homeless, living in a train carriage, Old Bill a 45-50 year old homeless man, living in a train carriage suffering from the death of his wife and daughter while smoking and drinking his life away, and Caitlin a 17 year old rich, spoiled girl who works at McDonald's. The small token, but life changing gifts for example friendship, food, and a house all impacted on the characters feeling like they belonged in each other's lives and in the small town of Bendarat. Simple gifts may not mean much to the person giving, but they mean a lot to the person receiving them and they can often be life changing and have underlying significance. Simple gifts are given and received between the characters in the novel as well as people in society today. In the novel there are strong friendships formed between Billy, Old Bill, and Caitlin. Friendship is a simple gift that allows the characters to feel like they belong in each other's lives, and have someone that they can turn to during tough times. This is also the case in societies all around the world today, as friendship makes everyone feel special and loved. Everyone in the world deserves friendship as it allows them to feel comfortable and like they belong in this world. In the novel Billy and Old Bill develop a strong bond and they exchange the simple gift of friendship between them. They are always there for each other and are always helping each other out which allows each of them to feel like they belong and have someone who understands their emotions and feelings. Billy helps Old Bill get his life back on track and begin waking up early, eating breakfast, working, quitting smoking, and drinking less. Billy helps Old Bill to recover from the loss of his daughter Jessie and his wife who