Monogamy
Monogamy is a significant theme in Vladimir. The couple at the center of the novel is not monogamous. They engage in sanctioned extramarital affairs. Most people shown in the novel—and in the world more generally—are presumably monogamous. And the couple's non-monogamy is what gets them into trouble and what causes their relationship to fracture and fall apart.
Sexual desire
Sexual desire is an important theme in Vladimir. It was ultimately sexual desire which caused the man and woman's life to become fraught and difficult. Both the woman and her husband have tremendous sexual desire. To satiate it, they engage in sanctioned extramarital affairs. And though they have fun when they had sex with their various partners, their sexual escapades and desires are what bring them down and made their lives more difficult. The novel makes the point that sex can be good but only when done responsibly with consenting adults who you have no power over (as the woman's husband did).
Trust
Despite their circumstances and consistently cheating on each other, the English professor who was accused of misconduct and his wife trusted each other. And trust is one of the most important themes in all of Julia May Jonas' Vladimir. They trust each other in good times and they trust each other in bad times as well. Most couples wouldn't trust each other in similar circumstances, but the couple at the center of the novel does.
Eventually, though, the couple begins not to trust each other after the woman starts an affair with the eponymous Vladimir, which is ironic because the man's infidelity is what caused their life to become difficult. This shows not only that non-monogamy doesn't work for many people, but it also shows how important being upfront and honest with your intentions is.
