Friendship
Jules and Jim are the best of friends, to a degree that it is hard at times to comprehend how gracious and loving they are to one another. They share a home as Jim marries Catherine; throughout the hardship of life with Catherine, the two men remain kindled in the same flame for one another. It is their friendship that Jules misses most when Catherine and Jim die, rather than her love.
Paradoxical Love
Jules speaks of how the woman is meant to be the one true in fidelity, while the man has affairs. It is a philosophy that is flipped by Truffaut in this film. Jules is faithful while Catherine has affair after affair, and we see the toll it takes on him as he endures heartbreak and loss, even of his best friend at the expense of Catherine living out her life in a way that defies the limitations of current society’s view of marriage. Her infidelity doesn’t create depth, but rather separation that is irreparable.
Settling the Score
Catherine throughout the film has affairs, and does so in order to settle the score between her and the men she loves. It is her philosophy of being able to move on. But, in truth it causes everyone to stay back, stuck in a nowhere land without resolution to move forward in any way that is healthy. Catherine loves the way she loves, and throws people away like the butts of useless cigarettes.
