What is the theme in Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery?

Society and human potential make up the main theme in the story. Twice Antoine discusses the potential in people for greatness of individual creativity and spirit, and in both contexts, he is saddened to see that where there used to be light and aspiration, there was nothing but weariness and resignation to a life that would amount to very little in the way of leaving a mark on the world they will leave behind. His suggestion is that while people are young, while the possibilities of growth and cultivation of their gifts is still reachable, society ought to give priority to keeping them free to explore those gifts and become the artists or thinkers it is in them to be. Instead, he observes that in a society where business and war are the biggest receptacles of men's energies, the freedom to cultivate the gifts of the mind simply don't exist in the same abundance.