Typical Wilde-esque characters and stories: men and women who pursue perfection to the point of being clumsy, and finally accept the imperfect but real life at their own fault; people who are cynical but very sincere in their bones.
Unlike in "The Ideal Husband", the villain in this story, Mrs. Erlynne, is the one who understands the truth of human nature better; Mr. Darlington intervenes in the story more bravely than Lord Goring, but the ending is a bit tragic. But Wilde's consistent style: no one is perfect, ridicule the pursuit of perfection may be too ideal, and fall into dogmatism. The wise man, on the other hand, is the one who understands the imperfections of human nature and strikes a gentle blow at the right moment. (Tuppy is the one who knows this best.)
PS some wonderful lines
"I don't want to tamper with natural ignorance. It's the key to happiness." "Gossip's all right, it's the moralising that's in poor taste." "A marriage takes your whole heart. Selfish people can't pull it off, but you're not that. You can succeed where the rest of us fail." "You shut your eyes to everything that isn't perfect, you're just asking to fall into a hole." "Go ahead. Step over love to pick up pride and guilt. What will that trade be worth in a year? In twenty?" "What you did is your mistake, your sack of bricks. You carry it. You don't confess and had it off to someone who loves you."
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