The American Dream
Stephen Rojack is a hero made famous and rich man. He started from the bottom, and ending up in a high-class society, much thanks to his wife who's one of the wealthiest females in the city. He is essentially the definition of the American Dream. Yet, he doesn't feel the effects of it, as he doesn't feel fulfilled nor happy. This leads him to killing his wife and being brought down to where he started, inverting and reversing the American Dream.
Life and Death
Stephen Rojack is a war veteran from the World War II. He explicitly remembers one of the nights during the war where there was a full moon and he killed four Germans. This event leads him to think that the moon and death are connected, which makes it easier for him to not put the blame of others death on himself. It also seems like Rojack doesn't manage to take death seriously anymore, and he has experienced and seen a lot of it around him. It is therefore easy for him to kill his wife when he tires of her.
Right and Wrong
As the book unfolds, Rojack hurts, kills, and deceives his way down a hole. Yet, as he tries lying himself back to salvation and into the good faith of his fellow men, he also starts believing the lies he is telling, proving that he is going crazy. This is further tangled, as his truths are starting to hold proof. The lies get tangled in a mess of small truths, and the truths are strengthened by Rojack's lies.
