The theme of the book, “Steelheart” by Brandon Sanderson is hyper focusing on revenge can only hurt you. David was bent on revenge on Steelheart making him very impulsive, risky, and emotionally isolated. After Steelheart killed his father, David spent his whole childhood risking his life collecting information on epics, especially those related to Steelheart. It became his whole life so things like making social bonds weren’t any sort of priority. Before and after joining the epics he also frequently got himself into deeper trouble than he needed to be by making risky decisions on the spot. Seeking revenge gave him tunnel vision, so the safety of himself and those around him became irrelevant. If David hadn't become so focused on getting revenge, he would’ve lived a normal life and developed normal relationships. David allowed himself to feel for something other than Steelheart, allowing him to be happy having someone he really cared about, and letting Megan realize he genuinely cared for her. David had feelings towards Megan for a while but chose to keep pushing them down because he thought they'd get in the way of him facing Steelheart. He only allowed himself to truly process these emotions when he thought he was going to lose her. He didn't care about revenge at that moment, just about her. He also cared for her after death, even when the others thought to leave her. When Megan looked through the footage of her death, she heard what David said, and saw how he cared for her to the very end. She didn't feel used, she felt cared for. If David hadn't allowed himself feelings for Megan, he never would've gotten the genuine happiness he felt around her, and Megan wouldn't have known just how important she was to him. This proves the theme of the book, “Steelheart” by Brandon Sanderson is being bent on revenge can only hurt you.