Victimhood
One of the most obvious themes of the book is victimhood. The question of the novel specifically is how and why a woman like Morgan, who literally studies victimhood for a living at Criminal Justice school, could slowly become the victim to a sociopath's plans? She knows the signs, but still, she struggles to admit to herself that she has an attachment to victimizing situations. In therapy she admits that the study of victimhood chose her by fate.
Sociopathy and psychopathy
As far as the criminal psychology of the book, Morgan seems to be interested in sociopathy and psychopathy. By comparing and contrasting them, she sees that they are both similar and different. They are similar in that they both involve blurring the lines of one's relationship to external reality, but what makes sociopathy different than psychopathy is that sociopathy is a removal from the social order while psychopathy is a removal from one's agency. The sociopath knows they are responsible for harming others, and they don't care—like "Bennett," her ex-fiance who was eaten by dogs.
Mental clarity and therapy
The dogs know something that Morgan doesn't want to admit. When she reaches out to Bennett's family, she learns that he isn't who he said he was. He isn't French Canadian. He didn't play bass for Radiohead. He doesn't have any of the social involvements that he claimed. She has been deluded by his sociopathic lying. In light of this, the novel's main action involves her attempting to find mental clarity through therapy, introspection and study.
