The Cost of Indecisiveness
Frank learns too late Dostoyevsky’s lesson about how one simple act can pollute an entire existence. By the time he has forged his friendship Helen, the consequences his decision-making process have already doomed him to a life of isolation loneliness.
The Value of Ethics
Materialism is constantly placed in contrast with the decisions to put selfishness aside and act with ethical intent even if the cost is success measure by wealth. To be good and decent is the ultimate measure of a successful life, not the possessions one accumulates or the money one earns.
The Pervasive Effects of Prejudice
The effects of prejudice allowed to build up and mutate like a virus is felt everywhere in the novel. The Jews and Gentiles both operate within a never-ending atmosphere of mutual distrust and suspicion that insinuates itself into every social transaction and become a guiding force behind every decision involving the object of prejudice.
Fate and Free Will
An underlying theme that is not directly addressed through incident or contemplation is the question of what extent fate is guided by forces out of one’s control and what, if any, chance human beings have to express genuine free will. An atmosphere of resignation to the acceptance that one’s fate is predominantly out of one’s control runs through nearly every character. The fact that none of them confront this feeling directly and that those who do seem to change their fate still feel like pawns of destiny says much about the modern experience.
