In a way, the novel is simply about gambling. It offers a sad, lush portrait of Alexis's life as he descends further and further into a life of roulettes and casino living. This is obviously a symbolic reference to itself, because the damages of gambling are clearly on display, but the plot has a far deeper meaning that is implied through suggestion. By showing that Alexis has taken his life and used it wrongly, the question is raised, what would it have meant to live rightly?
One issue is Alexis's relationship to joy and hope. In the general plot of his life, Alexis is frustrated by his community, because it feels to him that he has a limitless potential that is often not honored in his friendships. His community has an opinion of him that deviates from his own opinion, and so his experience of community is riddled by frustration. However, this is a puzzle with more than one solution; instead of victimhood and the chronic disenfranchisement of youth, he could have chosen responsibility.
Instead, he succumbs to a nefarious temptation to gamble. One can view gambling through the lens of temporary hope for a radical improvement in fate. The manic hope that is available as the roulette wheel spins is a kind of hope that is paid for, purchased with money. He thinks his money is being traded for real opportunity, but he is simply paying for the right to enjoy a false, temporary hope. The chronic effect is that his hope in real life diminishes, and his will to resist the temptation weakens. He becomes addicted.
