What are the motifs in The Legend of the Christmas Rose by Selma Lagerlof?

Materialism is a recurring idea in the story. Christians believe that too much attachment to material possessions or ideas separates one from the divine, whereas the poor are closer to God. This story offers a literal depiction of that idea. The outlaws in the forest, who live inside "a poor mountain grotto with bare stone walls," are the ones to whom the divine miracle is first revealed. On the other hand, the people in the villages, who are attached to their material existence, do not see the miracle. They make extensive preparations for their Christmas celebrations, which are all based on material items, such as "hunks of meat and bread." This image contrasts sharply with the "wretchedness and poverty" of the outlaws' cave, where "nothing was being done to celebrate Christmas."