A key theme in Wine in the Wilderness is the issue of socioeconomic class divisions within the African-American community. Bill, Cynthia, and Sonny-man are educated, middle-class professionals; Cynthia is a social worker, Bill is an artist, and Sonny-man is a writer. In contrast, Oldtimer and Tommy are less privileged and lack formal education; Tommy works in a factory, and Oldtimer appears to be unemployed. A major source of conflict in the play arises from the class divide between these two groups of characters. The middle-class characters condescend to the working-class characters, feigning friendship while showing little respect. They don't even respect Oldtimer enough to learn his real name, despite him being their elder. The plot centers on their scheme to use Tommy as the model for Bill’s painting of ‘‘the worst chick in town.’’

Bill often acts condescendingly towards Tommy, flaunting his education and knowledge of history and literature over her. He corrects her speech and treats her as if she is completely ignorant. Tommy begins to sense this class tension when she questions Cynthia about whether she is good enough for Bill. However, it is only when Tommy discovers Bill’s true view of her as ‘‘the worst gal in town’’ that she fully realizes how much he and his friends look down on her. Tommy rightly accuses them of looking down on the ‘‘masses’’ of African-Americans who are not as educated or privileged. She even highlights that Bill disdains his own parents, who worked hard to own a home and provide him with better opportunities. Furthermore, Tommy accuses Bill of professing to ‘‘love’’ African-American culture while actually despising the real African-American people he encounters daily. By the play's conclusion, Bill learns from Tommy to overcome his classist attitudes toward others in his community.

One of the central themes in Wine in the Wilderness is the depiction of African-American womanhood. Bill plans to use his series of three paintings to convey his perspective on "black womanhood." In his first painting, "Black girlhood," Bill portrays African-American girls as symbols of innocence and purity. The second painting, "Wine in the Wilderness," showcases his idealized version of "perfect black womanhood"—a woman adorned in Afro-centric fashion, embodying style and physical beauty. However, this image reflects Bill's unrealistic and sexualized fantasy of "black womanhood," more akin to a fashion magazine illustration than a representation of a real woman navigating the everyday challenges and joys of life. Bill's yet-to-be-created third image is intended to depict the average African-American woman as downtrodden and "hopeless." At this stage, his view of "black womanhood" is quite offensive, as he dismisses women who live, work, and love amidst the daily struggles, often without financial stability or access to higher education. Bill criticizes the "masses" of African-American women like Tommy, labeling them as "ignorant, unfeminine, coarse," and "rude." He sees these women as overpowering African-American men and tells Tommy, "the Matriarchy gotta go." Cynthia, despite being an African-American woman herself, shares a similar outlook on women like Tommy. She instructs Tommy to be more submissive to men and suggests she let them take the lead. Cynthia believes that African-American women have somehow stripped African-American men of their masculinity. She tells Tommy, "You have to let the black man have his manhood again," to which Tommy replies, "I didn’t take it from him, how I’m gonna give it back?"

By the conclusion of the play, Bill comes to understand that his negative perception of the "masses" of African-American women was misguided. He recognizes that everyday women like Tommy are "the real beautiful people." Through Tommy's character, Childress critiques African-American men who blame women for their oppression in a society dominated by white people. In contrast, Childress honors women like Tommy, who persevere through daily struggles, as the true embodiment of "black womanhood."