The novel powerfully shows how Hertervig's artistic talent is inseparably linked to his emotional pain. His luminous landscape paintings paradoxically emerge from the darkness of his inner torment, illustrating the complex relationship between creativity and mental health.

Hertervig becomes an outsider both through his social background and his increasingly conspicuous behavior. His fellow academy students from more privileged backgrounds mock him, while his growing obsession with Helene drives him further into isolation.

At its core is Hertervig's desperate struggle for self-determination in a world that increasingly eludes him. His melancholy becomes the lens through which he perceives the world while trying to maintain his artistic vision and his love for Helene.