Centuries of secondary literature indicate the complex and multi-faceted thematic weight of Terence’s The Brothers. There are many aspects one might choose to focus on, such as Terence’s satirization of the sociocultural distance between rural and urban Greece, the ideological rifts between the two, and the importance of moderation. This analysis focuses on the complexity of the father-son relationships which occupy the heart of the play—and the heart of much of Terence’s oeuvre.  

Even though only one of the two eponymous brothers is biologically a father (Demea is the father of both Ctesipho and Aeschinus), Demea's older son, Aeschinus, is adopted by his bachelor brother, Micio. The adoptive father-son duo of Micio and Aeschinus live in the city-state of Athens, whereas the father-son duo of Demea and Ctesipho live in the Greek countryside.

The play begins, rather unusually, with a monologue. The speaker is Micio, who describes his philosophy regarding child-rearing while discussing his worries about Aeschinus. Readers learn that Micio believes in being liberal and generous and turning a blind eye to his son's wrongdoings instead of being a harsh disciplinarian. The next scene features his brother, Demea, whose views on fatherhood are drastically different from Micio's. Demea has heard of Aeschinus's extravagances and crimes and is horrified; he makes a trip to Athens to remonstrate with his brother. Micio does not receive this well, and the conversation between them becomes a debate on the ideal nature of child-rearing, for the pair follow two drastically different ways of raising children. 

The relationships between these contrasted fathers and sons are, in both cases, brought to a head by the unfortunate love affairs of their sons. In the case of Aeschinus, this involves the rape and impregnation of the virgin Pamphila, daughter of the widow Sostrata. In the case of Ctesipho, this involves a music girl who is the property of the pimp Sannio. The first act of the play is about the two different philosophies of child-rearing. The second act focuses on the effects of these dissonant methods on these sons as they act toward their lovers. The third and fourth acts involve the fathers' discoveries of these affairs, revealing the men’s perspective about the men their sons have become. The final act deals with the fall-out of these love affairs.

Despite the differences in their views, both Demea and Micio are fooled by their sons. Even though Micio is lax and Demea strict, neither of them realizes the truth about what their sons have been doing. In both cases, paternal love and affection blind them to reality. In the end, both fathers suffer a reversal of authority: Micio is compelled to marry the widow Sostrata, and Demea is forced to relax some of his austerity. Through these two stories of opposed brothers (Demea and Micio; Ctesipho and Aeschinus), readers see how, in essential matters, they are not as different as they seem.

In true New Comedy fashion, The Brothers offer a scathing critique of contemporary life through a light-hearted lens. Confusion and chaos reign supreme, and the ridiculous hijinks of a family who need only communicate to resolve their problems make up the bulk of the narrative. Yet, these rather simple narrative elements—discordant values and family members at odds with one another—provide Terence with plot fodder to further his social commentary.

Indeed, the play speaks to the ever-deepening disconnect in values occurring during the third and second centuries BCE. As Rome evolved, so did the frequency with which its citizens clung to tradition. Demea’s staunch conservatism and Micio’s lax liberalism indicate the rift growing in Roman society. The conclusion, which promotes moderation and compromise, offers an answer to the current issue of ideological misalignment by suggesting that readers seek the truth rather than dwelling in the black-and-white opposition. Indeed, Terence’s translation was a veiled homage to life in Rome and, ultimately, a didactic suggestion of how its citizens should communicate with one another, despite their differences.