Fraud
Bill Maitland is a man who has seemingly built up a law practice, has a wife and children at home and cases for days. Deep down, though, Bill knows that he is a fraud. His life and his work are all phony. He's relied on other people to make him successful and all he's done is bullied others around to get them to do what he wants, and he's found himself at the precipice of his life. People know, he knows the truth of who he is and there is no turning back.
Bullying
Bullying is a theme that is personified by Bill. He brutalizes everyone with his fast talk and air-sucking to the point that they, for a time, believe him to be a man who is in charge; a man with power who should be listened to and followed. But, when the oxygen is drawn out for a long enough time people can't help but begin to notice the effect. Shirley leaves as she cannot give birth to a child in proximity to Bill. Hudson and Bill's mistress and wife all leave him too. His power has been found out to be a lie, and it is revealed that he is in fact a man who has lived without it for years.
Self-Hatred
The opening sequence of the play is Bill's dream where he admits to his life of fraudulence to a Judge. He prosecutes himself when in fact he is the defendant. Bill becomes the reality of self-hatred as he condemns himself for living his life in a way that protects him from anyone finding out he is a fraud. But, instead of attempting to fix the problem he carries on in his pain. This pain is represented by the thumb he doesn't get checked out by a doctor, but which he believes to be cancerous. He allows himself to be self-punished, rather than attempting to walk the long journey back to wholeness.
