The main issue involves an examination of ethics and the stockmarket as we find that Hunter went broke in a copper deal and his son-in-law Sterling who is an investment broker runs through family fortunes like water on one speculative deal after the next. By the final curtain when he finally overdoses, we almost stand and applaud his demise. The themes of ethics and investment still seemed relevant today. As we become increasingly familiar and care about the characters, we become more concerned for their financial well-being which goes down the tubes with Sterling's abuse of their investments.