The Ngil mask is a symbol of contested ownership, cultural heritage, and the violent legacy of appropriation. Worn by members of the Fang Ngil society as they enforced order, its journey into the criminal underworld of New York places it within a market where its cultural significance exists alongside the monetary value assigned to it by collectors and dealers. This tension highlights The Uncertain Distinction Between Art and Crime, as different characters locate its value in its market price, cultural significance, or potential for repatriation. The conflict over the mask also develops an association between masks and faces through the killer who hunts for it, a man who mutilates his victims by taking their faces. Gallery owner Nando Schmidt makes this connection directly: “I think it’s like, ‘You took my mask, I take your mask’” (206). Schmidt further connects masks with identity and perception, telling Pepper that putting on a mask allows a person to “become someone else” (206).

The mask gradually takes on greater significance for Pepper as he learns more about its history and LJ’s efforts to return it. After recovering the mask, he recalls Schmidt’s claim that wearing it allows a person to “become something different” and “see things differently” and ties it to his face (208). His final decision to give the mask to LJ for repatriation, rather than return it to Patterson, shows how his understanding of the object has changed. After keeping it for two weeks, Pepper gives it to LJ with the instruction, “If you can make it right, make it right” (245). His decision acknowledges the mask’s cultural significance beyond the monetary value attached to it and allows LJ to continue pursuing its repatriation.

The “NO RADIO” sign is a recurring motif associated with the ways New Yorkers adapt to persistent car theft. These signs, placed on car dashboards to deter thieves, announce that there is no radio worth stealing and thus discourage a break-in. For Carney, displaying such a sign is humiliating, and his refusal to use one reflects his pride and defiance. He interprets the signs as admissions that the city has already taken everything from their owners, arguing with Elizabeth, “I’m alive […] A living man” (300). His defiance reflects his refusal to present himself as similarly defeated or depleted. The motif therefore connects the everyday precautions that New Yorkers take against crime with Carney’s particular resistance to acknowledging vulnerability.

Before Carney confronts Junior over Robert, the motif develops from his rejection of the signs into a more openly defiant response. On his way into Viso-Tech, he sees another car displaying “NO RADIO” and imagines a sign on his own dashboard that says, “YES RADIO. I DARE YOU” (341). By reversing the familiar message, Carney turns an admission of vulnerability into a challenge, expressing his determination to face the danger ahead without presenting himself as defeated. The phrase returns after his confrontation with Junior as Carney leaves Viso-Tech: “YES RADIO. He closed the sale” (345). This final recurrence completes the motif’s development from a precaution against crime into an expression of Carney’s determination to face the city’s dangers without conceding defeat.