Money as authority
The novel shows that in addition to its literal role as currency, money also does other things. For instance, when the mafia has money and Girshkin needs money, suddenly, they're in charge of him. In this case, money is literally authority, because Vladimir's desperation leaves him completely subject to the will of those who will give him what he wants. Therefore, money and power are intertwined throughout the novel, and by the end, that conflict of interests reaches a head.
Autonomy and freedom
All throughout the novel, Vladimir struggles to retain his autonomy. His parents find him to be wayward and disappointing, partially because he doesn't earn good money, but also for this part of his character, that he doesn't help himself. Throughout the novel, Vladimir makes decisions that harm his ability to control his own fate, slowly enslaving himself to various people in the mob, constantly on the wrong end of any given situation, and when he escapes with his life in the final conflict with the mob, he is lucky for his second chance—these gangsters aren't the kind that typically let people go.
Debt and fate
When Vladimir decides to spend money he doesn't have, just to keep his friends, he falls into debt. Now, perhaps the friends were just that important to him, because after all, he is an immigrant, and he doesn't know many people. But in either case, he condemns himself to a complicated, dangerous life by choosing not just to spend himself into debt, but to settle the debt with the help of the mafia.
