As with John Osborne's Look Back in Anger and John Braine's Room at the Top, the novel's real subject was the disillusionment of post-war Britain and the lack of opportunities for the working class.
Ao igual que Look Back in Anger, de John Osborne e Room at the Top, de John Braine, o verdadeiro tema da novela é o sentimento de desilusión da posguerra, e a ausencia de oportunidades para a clase obreira.