Actually Pretty Funny: When Albert asks Isaac Singerman if he has horns, Singerman doesn't react with anger or hurt. Instead, he just laughs at the ridiculousness of the question.
Big Sister Instinct: During the ballgame, the Larabee brothers threaten to beat up Albert again for being a "Jew-lover", and Laura brandishes the baseball bat she was holding and threatens to hit a home run with their heads. They get the message and back off.
Due to the Dead: Albert finishes Singerman's coffin when the latter is dying, and then visits his grave to plant an oak tree near it.
Irony: Nellie is among the kids who believe Jewish people wear hats to hide horns in their heads and make fun of Singerman with said myth. Little did she know that she'd fall in love with a Jew a couple years later (who happens to have the same first name as Singerman, as Percival's original name was Isaac).
Go Out with a Smile: While Albert is distraught to lose his mentor, Singerman explains that he's ready to die. Not only will it bring an end to his physical pain, but allow him to find out some of life's big questions.
The Lost Lenore: Singerman is so devoted to his late wife that he won't move with his son to New York because he can't bear to leave her graveside. He ends up buried next to her.
Men Don't Cry: Defied by Singerman, who always sheds tears while making a new coffin even though he doesn't know who's to be buried there.
Mentor Occupational Hazard: Albert only gets to be an apprentice to Singerman for a little while before the latter dies of heart complications.
Never Bareheaded: Singerman explains to Albert that he never takes off his hat even indoors as a reminder that there's someone above him, which the Oleson kids previously claimed to be because Jews hide their horns under it.
