Themes

The themes of loneliness and decay are central to the novel. The town is dying; the rich are really rich only on paper; the buildings are old and rotting; the only entertainment, the picture show, closes; the pool hall is the only remaining source of any kind of fun in the town. Not only does the town decay and die; so do the dreams and aspirations of the characters.

Sam, the one noble person in the novel, shuffles in house shoes, his feet aching, his body broken by age and a hard life.

Lois Farrow, once the most popular girl in school, satisfies herself with liquor and affairs; her daughter Jacy, beautiful and popular, seems to be following in her footsteps. Ruth Popper's life is broken by her ignorant fool of a husband, and later by the unthinking self-interest of Sonny.

Another theme prevalent in the novel is...