If the reader breaks this novel in half, the first half seems to be about Robert and the ways that he suffers, and the second half of the novel seems to focus most on the way Robert causes suffering for others. Robert's experience of marriage left him feeling permanently discouraged and lonely, and then when he mistreats Katherine in the same ways he was mistreated, she is left discouraged and lonely too. This novel is subtly highlighting the inherent tragedy of romance, especially the tragedy of repeating one's abuse.
That darkness is brought to the reader with an image of the utmost darkness: the death of a child. When Robert and Katherine's daughter dies, we see the emotional landscape of the event, and the question raised is, "What would it take to survive this trauma and tragedy?" The answer might have been as simple as finding a romantic friend to work through the pain with, but Robert is completely disinterested in Katherine.
Interestingly, Robert's relationship to Celia is colored with the same rejection and dehumanization. Robert wasn't good enough because he wasn't the king. Katherine is not good enough because Robert doesn't even give her a chance. Therefore, Robert suffers by his own hand. Instead of finding love to offer others, he decided to be a victim of his situation. The novelist does not let him get away with that cowardly behavior, and in the end, Robert slowly falls into delusions of restoration, in a fugue comatose state.
