Thurber examined different aspects of society in his writings, covering topics such as language, love, art, and war. Unlike many of his fellow humorists, his work often had a more political angle. He was particularly interested in the exploitation and mistreatment of the Little Man by women, whom he suggested might have taken a different evolutionary path from men, essentially creating a separate race. This theme is explored in Norris W. Yates's The American Humorist. Thurber also depicted machines as contributing to the Little Man's downfall. While dogs do not appear in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," they are a common presence in Thurber's short stories and cartoons. These dogs act as impartial observers, seeing through pretense and bravado to reveal vulnerability, but they wisely refrain from making comments.