Love and Monsters is simply the story of a boy trying to find his lover in a ruined world. And it isn't an easy journey, as you can see with the examples below.
- The flashback of Joel's final moment with his parents. After his mom tells him to get to safety and that she loves him, he witnesses them both get crushed by a monster.
- Joel's overall feeling of loneliness in his colony. He's the only one not paired with anyone, the others don't see him as very useful beyond his cooking skills, and the only remaining person in his life hasn't been seen for seven years.
- When Joel first finds Boy, he is living alone in a bus that he most likely shared with his original owner. All he has left of her is her dress, and going by how he grabs it when Joel touches it, it’s clear that it wasn’t that long ago that Boy must have lost her.
- Clyde and Minnow briefly reveal that his son and her father were killed by the monsters a while ago, and they have been surviving together on their own ever since.
- Minnow crying when Joel has to part from her and Clyde. He makes sure to leave her happy before he goes.
- Joel finding the MAV1S robot who shows him photos of his parents, meaning he is seeing their faces again for the first time in seven years. He tearfully expresses what he wishes he could tell them at that moment.
- MAV1S plays "Stand By Me" while watching the sky jellies with Joel as she loses power. She doesn't even finish the song before she's out. Joel then buries her with a gravestone.
- Joel yelling at Boy for nearly getting them eaten by the Sand Gobbler Queen, which causes the poor dog to run off sadly.
- Aimee revealing to Joel that she just doesn't feel the same way that he was hoping she would feel after his journey to find her. While he understands, given what she had gone through in his absence, he is also still heartbroken at taking the trip to come to this conclusion.
