What is the theme in The Recognitions a Novel by William Gaddis?

Self-delusion is a theme.The old adage that one must first deceive one's self in order to deceive others, is demonstrated throughout. Every phony, con man, forger, counterfeiter, liar, and delusional person in the novel is awash in self-deception. A famous counterfeiter, for example, thinks of himself as a fine artist with skills superior to those of conventional designers of paper currency. An artist named Esmé lacks the self-confidence to mount an art exhibit for fear of rejection, instead finding escape with heroin and with other heroin addicts.