The Pumpkin Papers
Not only are these documents real, they were literally used by Congress to convict Alger Hiss of espionage and collusion with Russia. They also represent something about Chambers: He is not necessarily at peace with his role as a spy, or perhaps he is petty, storing up evidence to prove his colleague's guilt. One must wonder whether an honorable person would work so hard to make someone else look guilty. Or, perhaps, he is honorable, having decided to destroy the conspiracy he helped to start.
The motif of government infiltration
Chambers is detailed in his explanations of how his network of spies became formed. Basically, this is the format he describes: A person plays a role in a government agency (typically someone who is open to egalitarian ideas), and they become part of the underground network of Communists. They eventually meet Chambers who requests their involvement in a spy network, and then the government is infiltrated by insiders, and Chambers sends their findings to Colonel Bykov. It seems there is a systemic breach in the government, if such a network of spies could easily be formed.
Communism as a false hope
When Chambers found Communism, it gave him hope at a time when he needed hope. He was constantly mistreated for his liberal ideas, and that made him vulnerable to the hope that came with his involvement in an intriguing role that made him feel special: A Communist insider. He felt he had found his calling, but actually, historically speaking, no one has done more to harm the American Communist party than Russian spies.
The motif of government power
This story does not leave the reader with the impression that the US government is a weak institution. It was only in response to the unimaginable strength of the American government that Chambers even considered involving himself in Communist espionage. But when it comes time for him to own up to his involvement, he realizes that his actions have legal consequences—him and all his associates. The government is a powerful entity with many different interest groups in it, and when the spies are arrested, they are subject to the government's punishment.
The allegory of the spy
If one analyzes Chambers's story for its allegorical content, one discovers an angry disenfranchised youth whose political opinions are half-formed. Having correctly identified at least some of the United States's core issues, having seen the destruction of WWI in Europe, and having been mistreated for his own political opinions, Chambers was easy prey for the Russians. By making him feel special and cool, they easily ensnared him into a life of duplicity and betrayal. Then at the end, he changes his mind, proving that his life has not panned out the way he believed it would. Instead of fixing one problem, he became complicit to another problem.
