Social Convention
Congreve's ‘‘comedy of manners’’ satirizes the fashionable or conventional social behaviors of his time. The conflicts between characters arise from artificial and affected social norms, particularly those governing relationships between men and women. In The Way of the World, social pretenses and complex plots are prevalent. Women are forced to act coyly and deceive during courtship; married couples engage in mutual deception; friends are duplicitous, and romantic conquests are more about securing dowries and convenience than genuine love. All moral principles are sacrificed for reputation and wealth. The humor in the play stems from the constant subterfuge. What characters say rarely aligns with what they truly think or mean. For instance, on the surface, Fainall appears to be happily married, but in truth, he despises his wife and is having an affair with her close friend. Congreve suggests that in the fashionable society of the late seventeenth century, it is essential to maintain an appearance of beauty, wit, and sophistication, regardless of one's actions or words.

Dowries, Marriage, and Adultery
In the male-dominated, patriarchal society of Congreve's era, women were treated as little more than property in marriage transactions. Upon marriage, a woman's dowry (money, property, and estate) was transferred to her husband, making her his legal chattel. Among the upper classes, women had minimal control over their destinies, with marriages typically arranged based on social status, wealth, and family name. In the play, Millamant's dowry is the focal point of the conflict between her true lover Mirabell and the adulterous schemers Fainall and Mrs. Marwood, who aim to seize Millamant's fortune as well as that of Fainall's wife. Astutely, Mrs. Fainall had a significant portion of her estate placed in trust before her marriage to prevent her husband from claiming it.

Marriages are not only crucial economic agreements but also serve to protect social reputations. Mrs. Fainall's marriage, while socially acceptable and even expected, is mainly a façade of civility. However, being caught in an adulterous affair jeopardizes both reputation and fortune. Thus, when Fainall and Mrs. Marwood's affair is exposed, they become social pariahs. Fainall, having gambled his reputation on a scheme to disinherit his wife, faces the disgrace of exposure and must continue living with his wife while relying on her for support. Mrs. Marwood's reputation is shattered, and her future prospects are ruined. Congreve's aim is to depict the world in all its evident greed, illustrating that those who deceive ultimately face their comeuppance.

Decorum and Wit
Congreve crafts a variety of characters—fops, dandies, and fools—who serve as effective contrasts to the romantic leads. He sets these so-called "wits" against Mirabell and Millamant to critique the deterioration of social manners. As a comedy, the play is designed to be both a serious social satire and an entertaining escapade. No character is entirely spared from Congreve's satirical touch. He implies that everyone can be foolish, overly serious, or preoccupied with creating false personas to mask their moral flaws. Petulant and Witwoud, as prime examples of societal superficiality and absurdity, also reveal through their wit the true motives behind people's actions. They confuse fashionable behavior with genuine decorum and good manners but are essentially harmless. The comic hero, Mirabell, employs blackmail and deception to further his own goals, yet he embodies wisdom and decency, protecting and caring for his friends. Millamant, though sometimes whimsical and in the company of fops, is fundamentally discerning, able to separate fashion from principles. Lady Wishfort, the most sympathetically comic figure, despite her efforts to maintain decorum and her authority as the wealthy family matriarch, is ultimately a lonely widow desperate for a husband.

Passion and Puritanism
This final play by Congreve is seen as a dramatic response to Puritan Pastor Jeremy Collier's harsh criticism of the theatre, where he condemned the English stage as morally corrupt. Millamant and Mirabell, as comic heroes, embody characters who are attuned to their natural passions and creative spirits, unburdened by both fashionable sexual freedom and excessive piety. Lady Wishfort represents the societal tyranny and hypocrisy that suppress these natural, creative passions under the guise of Puritanism. Unlike the true lovers, she feigns elegance and pretentiousness that conflict with her inner emotions and passions. Through her strict and humorously eccentric Puritanical upbringing, she has taught her daughter to scorn men and immoral behavior, including "going to filthy Plays.’’ It is no accident that for the lovers to unite, they must expose Lady Wishfort's logic and principles as the transparent facade they have become by the play's conclusion.

Sexual Politics
The battle of the sexes in this dramatic comedy is portrayed with wit and artistry, treachery and intricate design, tenderness and teasing, passion and charm, and most importantly, precise timing. In Congreve's play, it is evident that in this particular conflict—where love, money, and social survival are at stake—both men and women are equally skilled and powerful. Gender behavior is constrained by social conventions, necessitating distinct and strictly maintained attitudes and actions for each gender. The prenuptial "negotiation" scene between Mirabell and Millamant humorously yet earnestly establishes the guidelines by which they will manage their marriage, balancing independence and privacy with intimacy and love. Although the terms of their agreement may seem trivial at first glance, they clearly reflect prohibitions against the "evil" tendencies of each sex. Ultimately, Millamant will not be unduly dominated or possessed by her husband, and her husband will not be vexed by intrigue or the vain fashions of the time. This exchange is beneficial: it preserves mutual respect and the perceived natural and unique distinctions and charms of men and women. Mirabell and Millamant's union is certainly intended as a counterpoint to the deceitful adultery of Fainall, the pitiable loneliness of Lady Wishfort, and the emptiness and debauchery of the dandy's lifestyle.