Tom's cross-dressing as a girl emerges as one subplot amid the family's breakdown, framed as a child's response to trauma and bullying rather than any affirmative statement on gender identity. The story explores taboo sexuality and eroded boundaries through a Freudian lens of dysfunction, without activist framing or lectures on systemic issues. The 1978 source material predates modern identity politics, and the adaptation retains this focus on raw family dysfunction and taboo attraction as central drivers rather than vehicles for contemporary messaging.

Standard 1990s British casting introduces no alterations to established characters and shows no DEI-driven choices or creator activism. This keeps progressive elements minimal and incidental, preserving the narrative's emphasis on psychological breakdown over ideological statements.