In The People Could Fly, the notion of "flights of fancy" ceases to indicate frivolity or self-indulgence. Instead, it becomes an invitation to imagine, hope, and dream. In the context of a Black male experience—which is often conflated with despair and hardships—such an invitation is a daring act of resistance.

 In cities around the world, the sight of shoes hanging from powerlines evokes a host of reactions and has become urban legend to be interpreted in myriad ways. Pecou uses the art of “shoefiti” (the act of throwing a pair of shoes onto telephone wires, powerlines, or other raised wires) as an allegory for overcoming and escaping one’s limitations - both those assumed and implied.