Human nature
Trollope's underlying theme in these short stories is the theme of human nature. His characters are realistic and relatable. It is in human nature to make poor choices; human nature is far from perfection. In the story "The Spotted Dog" this making of poor choices that lead to one's misery is portrayed. It is human nature to lie when on is eager to get what one wants just as it is portrayed in the "The Turkish Bath". It is in human nature to be compassionate just like the Editor is despite his position that requires him to be practical. In the story "La Mere Bauche" the character of Madame Bauche is typically portrayed as that of a strict mother whose actions portray that she doesn't consider other people's emotions, but despite that she is conscious of it and feels guilt, and finally regret because of what she's done.
Love is compromise
From the story of Elizabeth and Godfrey in "The Mistletoe Bough" it is showcased that two people, despite loving each other can't be together unless they are willing to make a compromise on behalf of their mutual happiness without sacrificing their individual happiness. The opposite of this story is the story of Adolphe and Marie from "La Mere Bauche" where the two lovers didn't find this mutual ground. Adolphe is completely dependent on his mother and cowardly refuses to confront her; his individual happiness is more important to him than the happiness he could have with Marie. On the other hand, Marie is completely dependent on the happiness she is getting from her love for Adolphe, she doesn't have her own, and she defines her happiness from the relationship, which ended tragically for her.
It's not easy to be a widow with two mites
Widow with two mites is a lesson from the Bible, and it is a story about a widow contributing her only two mites (coins) into the treasury leaving her with nothing. It is a lesson about sacrifice. Nora Fields wants to do as widow with two mites did; she wants to make a large and selfless sacrifice like that for her community. She finally decides to sacrifice her wedding attire and wear only plain clothes. At the time of this resolution this sacrifice seemed very significant and impactful. On her wedding day, Nora and her loved ones realize that they didn't even notice this sacrifice, the wedding day passed more comfortably and happily than it would otherwise, so the sacrifice then seemed very small. To this Nora concludes that it's not easy to be a widow with two mites, meaning that it's not easy to make such a large sacrifice that it will completely strip one of their well-being; and who is to say that the widow, after contributing her two mites, didn't encounter a much greater blessing.
