Regret
Theme of regret is captured in a lot of these fairytales. Characters' actions often have drastic consequences making them wish they didn't do certain things, but they can't go back. In the story "The Dwarf" the main theme is that of regret. Filippo's beautiful lady Margherita falls in love with the worst person she could ever fall in love with. She disregards everything and anything for him, eventually losing her beloved pets and her beloved story-teller. Margherita is haunted with regret at the end, turning insane and reliving the scenes of her pets dying wishing she would've saved them. Another story with this theme of regret is that of Augustus. But here, we have a classic fairy tale element where the damage can be undone and Augustus's mother's wish changed. In the story "The Poet" it could be said that Han Fook has some regret in leaving his beloved ones behind to pursue his dream, but his fulfilled dream overlaps it. The most impactful story of regret is "Flute Dream". The man from the story knows that he can't go back to being a boy that is full of hope to pursue his dream of singing songs so much that he disregarded his home, father and potential love. He knows that he can only move forward into the darkness alone.
Death
Theme of death is explored in a lot of these fairy tales as well. In "The Dwarf" the certainty of death is contemplated by the main character who is, unknowingly, moments away from it. The "Shadow Play" ends with a death and with imagery of the night. In "Dr. Knoelge's End" the ridiculousness of the man's death is explored, who ends up being killed by a man who discarded human dignity and turned himself into an animalistic creature. "The Beautiful Dream" explores the acceptance of death and that each soul has a purpose no matter how long they live.
Following one's dreams
The theme of following one's dreams is explored through various stories. In the story "The Poet" the main character follows his dream no matter what, even if it means dedicating his entire life to it, but in the end in pays of to him, because he reached the ultimate goal that he was chasing after. In the story "Flute Dream" the man who follows his dream ends up looking back on his choices with regret but accepts that the only way he can go is forward into the darkness. In "The Fairy Tale about the Wicker Chair" the main character realizes that there is no point in limiting himself to one dream, there is more to him and his life than that.
