Death and existence
The imagery that Eggers begins the memoir with is the unfortunate portraits of death that he and his siblings endured when their parents died. He responds to these losses with a strong desire for life. He even leaves his father's funeral to have sex. He is thirsty for life, a thirst that brings him into existential dilemma, because he struggles to make sense of existence. Even the title points to this existential question; the Work in question is not the memoir, but Eggers' own life, with its ineffable orchestration.
Publicity and fame
Eggers knows what he wants in life when he auditions for MTV's The Real World in San Francisco. Especially back then, fame of that kind was the pinnacle of success in his cultural setting. He wanted to be on TV, but didn't get called back. The reader knows that of course, Eggers did eventually get famous, but in the memoir, the imagery comes across through desire. He sees fame as a way of validating his human experience by having a public legacy.
Depression and suicide
There aren't really any characters in the story that aren't depressed. Eggers parties with his friends, but most of those people are also suffering. In fact, one of his friends, John, commits suicide, transferring his emotional turmoil into the lives of his friends, even Eggers himself who was already struggle to find hope. His battle with depression has to do with his existential crisis, the death of his parents, and his intelligence and insight.
Closure and responsibility
The imagery of transition ends the novel, as if to say, "After this there is more story, but this is the end of a season." The strange quality of closure in the memoir is that Eggers makes it happen intentionally, accepting responsibility for his future. He determines to mourn more directly, then to move into a new season of life, and then he does it, helping his brother, Toph to make the same transition. They go from the aversion and avoidance of their party life into a more deliberate, experienced perspective.
