Self-criticism versus self-acceptance
From a literary perspective, one might argue that this novel invites a kind of scrutiny, one that is implied in the course of events. Undeniably, Charity is responsible for her actions, but to the extent that she feels morally desperate and emotionally exhausted—those are indications that she struggles with shame. Instead of using sound criticism, she secretly punishes herself with negative emotion when she is upset. The novel reminds the reader that Charity is desperate for love because her parents were not able to model love in front of her (she was adopted), so she struggles to love herself well.
Disdain and jealousy
Charity struggles with deep emotional resentments and grudges. She holds a grudge against her adoptive father for having charity on her, as if she needed any more charity. She begrudges people who have never harmed her, just because she thinks they have something essential to happiness that she doesn't, but this jealousy is plainly rooted in her own desire to move.
The path of knowledge and effort
There is an implied path that Charity declines, because falling in love and getting whisked away by the handsome young Lucius Harney is clearly more interesting and compelling, but remember that originally, she made a strategic plan that, if she had followed through on it, it would have worked, and she could easily have moved to Springfield on her own, as she planned, by working hard and saving money. But that path involves a lot of work, and she can't help the allure of a passive role—since her life has been more difficult than most, "falling in love," is a little like passing along her reins to someone else. In the end, she finally "marries" her father, a sign of her acceptance of herself and of him as a person of importance (even if she went through the "you're not my real dad" thing).
