Commitment and love
This novel is about relationships gone awry, especially the relationships of Tarr, the main protagonist, first because of Bertha, with whom he has a broken, dysfunctional relationship which he eventually abandons, citing that Bertha is such a headache he doesn't want to work through their problems anymore. Eventually, he ends up having a fling with Anastaysa, and she is perfectly intrigued by him. Without the long period of getting to know each other, he can't tell whether he just doesn't like Bertha anymore or whether he has commitment issues. He eventually ends up entertaining both relationships.
Competition and sexuality
This novel depicts sexual interest in the format of a game. One gets the impression that when Kriesler and Tarr compete for women, there is an unspoken competition to assess what the women want from them. They try various ideas, teaching Anastaysa about art or literature as a means of showing off. Does that mean the girls are actually in on this? Yes and no, because when Anastaysa and Bertha are both part of Tarr's life, they are competing without knowing it, which is a good indication that Tarr is also a person of power who resents the effects women have on him—he competes with everyone for control.
Point of view
The end of the novel features two new characters, Rose and Prism. Perhaps these are supposed to represent two stages of progress in Tarr's life, because one can see a rose-colored world, but then again, one can also see the rainbow through a prism. Otherwise these characters add almost nothing to the novel. The fact that Tarr ends up with five women is an indication that his point of view is broken, but we get an indication that he understands this problem, because when he divorces Bertha, he does not return to Anastaysa either. It's like he knows neither women was a good option.
