The book pioneered the seamless integration of supernatural elements with realistic Soviet society, creating a new way to critique political and social systems through fantasy, predating other famous magical realist works by decades.

Woland serves as a complex figure who, despite being Satan, often acts as an agent of justice and truth in the novel, challenging the traditional notion of evil and forcing characters to confront their own moral failings.

Through satirical portrayals of literary bureaucrats, housing shortages, and cultural censorship, the novel provides a biting critique of Stalinist Moscow while using supernatural elements to avoid direct political confrontation.