Quiroga's story deals with many themes. Here are a few to consider:

• The sanctity of all life. The lesson the tiger learned from his mother was that all life is sacred, and that the only difference between human and beast is "spirit."
• Unconditional love. The mother's love for the tiger, symbolized by the tiger feeding at her breast, transforms the tiger into a boy.
• Identity. The crux of the story lies in Juan Darien being recognized as a tiger. Even though he is a boy, the brutality of the tamer causes him to return to his true form.
• Fear and ignorance. The townsfolk turn on Juan when they are told he is a tiger; they are afraid of what he might become (a tiger) rather than honoring what he has been (a boy who has grown up in their village).
• Civilization and savagery. The one act of care in the story (the mother's decision to care for the tiger cub) is repaid with hatred and violence. The story raises the question of what constitutes civilization and whether the tigers are not actually more "civilized" than the humans.