Regional Identity:
The film was set in Bradford and filmed on location. Northerners have been represented as aggressive for example many characters have had arguments and in the film the characters swear in every conversation almost. The film shows the area to be rough and run down in wide shots showing the area they are living in and the surroundings of the characters. 
Age:
In the film, younger children have to do more at home and help their parents with family issues. The older members of the household are represented as weak because of their social class. The children are forced to grow up too quickly, so they do not value their education and care mostly about making money. When they were excluded, Arbor could not wait to go out and earn money, this shows how education isn't important to them. There was a scene in the film showing Arbor at school, messing and joking around in the classroom, which in that moment made him seem so young and to have a normal childlike spirit for a boy of his age and it makes you realise that he is far too young to be risking his life for money. The older people around children like Arbor and Swifty, do not set a good example, they allow them to risk their lives and turn them into thieves. Most of the older people in the film are broken and they don't really have the authority or power over their kids, and allow them to do what they want. In the absence of his father, Arbor also has to do his best to support his mum and his brother as his older brother is a drug addict, he doesn't do anything to support his family. This also shows how he has been forced to grow up to quickly. 
Disability:
Arbor suffers from an aggressive form of ADHD. I noticed that it is being treated by casual medication meaning that it masks the difficulties and not fully treats them. This shows that Arbor's mum wants to hide his mental illness from others, as it was viewed as preventing you, and makes someone unable and different. I also noticed that Swifty and Arbor's brother often say things like "mad head" or "off your head" which shows that his mental illness is not taken seriously and just brushed off, which again shows that people are not understanding of him.
Mrs Swift is suffering from depression, she is made to feel weak and like a failure by her husband. Again, it is not addressed by others as mental illness in their culture is something to be ashamed of and hide.
Social Class:
The characters in this film are under class and viewed as the bottom end of British society. It is clear to see that they struggle to afford basics, especially in big families such as Swifty's. For example, they hadn't got any electricity and they were forced to sell their sofa for a bit of extra cash. 
There is a scene where Arbor's mum is trying to keep him from being excluded permanently and the teacher is not paying any attention to her side or point of view, which shows how within the same area, there is still a barrier between them because of how much money they have, so poor people are ignored and treated inferior.
The characters in the film are obviously used to dealing with the police as they show no respect for someone in a position of authority. For example when visited by the police, Arbor started playing games on his phone and paid no attention to the presence of them.
He also then started feeding the fish, which shows how young he is and the fact that someone that young is in trouble with the police, shows the difference in childhood in different social classes.
Gender:
The women are made very domesticated in the film and are made to seem the weaker sex. The men go out and earn, so sometimes this is used against the women. The only strong woman figure expressed in this film, is the lady who works for Kitten who handles the finance. But there is still a binary split between jobs, as men have to do the heavy lifting so they must be doing the superior job. Also, because Arbor's father is absent in the film, I think that Arbor and his brother have not got the moral partnership of parents, as I think most father's enforce the rules in the household as men in the film are portrayed as more aggressive and less sensitive, while the mother's are more comforting as that is how they are displayed in the film.
Sexuality:
Arbor's brother says that Arbor and Swifty are gay because of the strong friendship they have, and Arbor seems so disgusted by the thought that it causes an argument between them. Also, Swifty and Arbor often call each other gay, so it shows that in their culture it's not an option for them to be gay as they make fun of it.
Ethnicity:
Kitten aspires to be something unsuccessful in life shown as he is called a "wannabe traveller" and a "wannabe gypsy." This means he isn't a good role model for Arbor and Swifty. The idea of gypsies is shown through the important role of horses in their culture. There is also not a wide range of races explored through the film, showing the majority of people living there to be white.
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