Werewolf stories have long served as warnings about toxic masculinity, violence, and the loss of self-control, using the image of a man turning into a beast to symbolize how unchecked anger, drinking, and impulsive behavior can transform someone into something dangerous. In Cajun culture, the rougarou fills that same role. Beneath the monster tale is a message meant to keep young people from roaming the night, drinking too much, getting into fights, or slipping into destructive habits that harm