Disenfranchisement and abuse
It is more likely for these characters to be pitted against one another because they are Black, living in Harlem in the 1940's. They are a whole community of perfectly disenfranchised people, which means that the government was not adequately ensuring the communities were livable. So, Lutie Johnson finds herself in an underworld when her husband leaves her. She must fight off rapists several times. Her son is easily taken from her by manipulative people who resent her sexual unavailability.
Sexual subjection
Another theme is offered within the umbrella of "disenfranchisement." This issue, sexually subjecting people to one's own will, is shown by Mrs. Hedges's influence in Lutie's life, the ploy against her by Junto and Hedges, and her real battle against rapists and predators who roam her community unabated by police deterrence. Sexual slavery is just part of every day life in Harlem, especially for young women who don't have a way to get re-established without a husband; as a woman, Lutie is doubly disenfranchised—there are literally those trying to disenfranchise her from her own body.
Poverty and competition
The people in the story who are most comfortable taking from others are those from whom life has taken something substantial. But for Lutie, life was similarly brutal, and yet she works hard for her family. This is a thematic portrait of the complex issue of morality and poverty. Because money is a limited resource in Harlem, the expectation is to hustle. When Lutie enters that world, she can tell men are trying to possess her, but she isn't sure how to defend herself from their insidious authority (Jones) or from their power. Ultimately, she does compete, for her very life, and she earns a new day for herself by killing her would-be rapist, and then escaping, leaving her son behind.
