The Piece of String" by Maupassant reflects common themes in Maupassant's work. It reveals his contempt for peasants and their distrust of one another. People gathered in the market were constantly trying to figure out whom is being tricked by who, and how to circumvent the trickery. The peasants do not trust each other, and Maupassant shows the silliness and frustration of this distrust. The themes of distrust and the contempt of the peasantry are the main ideas in this story.