The School for Wives is a highly character-driven story about misogyny, young love, and the danger's of paranoia. Depending on whose perspective you read the story from, the meaning shifts slightly, but they are all tied together by a motif of confusion and secrecy, so in that regard the novel is about the kind of strange manipulation and abuse that fearful men like Arnolphe employ when trying to force a woman to be with them. It's about fear versus love, and in the end, love wins.
From Arnolphe's perspective, the story is about compromise. A powerful, respected man who has terrible luck with the ladies finally takes his fate into his own hands by raising a wife for himself from scratch, so that she can be untainted and pure, so that he will never have to feel jealous. From this point of view, the story is a tragedy describing his downfall and his hubris.
But from Agnès and Horace's perspective, the story is a prince saving a princess from her evil captor. Arnolphe is like a dragon who protects a maiden, and Horace is the young brave lad who loves Agnès for who she is, not for what she can do for him.
Another interesting point of view worth considering is Enrique and Oronte's point of view. Part of the final plot twist is that Chrysalde's advice in the beginning of the novel was likely informed by experience; she is actually Agnès's aunt, and so she might already know that Enrique and Oronte will not let Arnolphe's plan succeed. Therefore, it is plausible (and likely) that Enrique and Oronte did this to Arnolphe on purpose to save Agnès from Arnolphe's demented intentions. To them, the story is about protecting Agnès from the creepiest dude ever.
