Though this is a very extreme example, the basic underlying conflict is one that most adolescents go through in becoming part of a society that they mistrust, and which they perceive (quite rightly, in many cases) as mistrusting them. This is also shown in Henry's repeated questions o his attorney Goerge: "You doing this for free or what?...So who's paying you? For what? And how much?" (Valdez 41). For Henry, money is a sign of power, and he regards it with a great deal of suspicion. This realization showed me the commonalities that exist for humans in most situations. I had thought of this is a historical play, and Henry as someone -- and something, really -- completely different than myself. Valdez makes it quite clear that this is how society wanted to view him, too, such as when Henry isn't given his clean clothes to wear for audience that he is not related to that persona when he says "I don't like being like this. I ain't dirty" (Valdez 48). This let me see that any interpretation of a person or a story is totally dependent on how we want to see things, which made me reflect much deeper both on the character of Henry Reyna and the overall import of the play for today's audiences.
Although Zoot Suit concerns a very specific population at very specific time and place in history, the story has many universal messages. The character of Henry Reyna illustrates the typical transition to adulthood in an extreme situation. Furthermore, his story reminds us all that social justice is dependent first on our knowing ourselves and trying to know others.