One of the play’s central themes is the subordinate role of women in modern society. At each turn in the plot, Helen’s life is decided and limited by men, who often do not have her best interests in mind. Her boss takes her as a wife. Her lover seduces and then abandons her. In court, she is tossed around in the lion’s den of judges, lawyers, and reporters, all of them men. In her final moments, she is again surrounded by men: priest, barber, and executioner. The play asks us whether Helen’s behavior is insane at all. In a world thus controlled by men, a woman’s violence and neurosis seem sane.