What is the main conflict in The Emperor Jones by Eugene O'Neill?

At the end of the play, Smithers says of Jones, "'e'd lost 'imself," and Jones is indeed a man in conflict with his past and the self he created to hide from it. The exalted position he claims for himself in order to obliterate that past has no real roots, and his inner self can't match the postured self that he aspires to. In spite of his blustering behavior, it is clear in the opening scene that Jones's status as "emperor" is fraudulent, and when this fiction gets sufficiently tested, Jones's recently assumed status crumbles because he is not aware of the power of his own self-doubts. Only dimly aware of the conflict between his real self and his postured self, Jones is like the schoolyard bully who is unaware of his basic fears. When forced to his knees, there is no genuine strength to call forth in defense.