hemes (1) A human being has a perverse, wicked side–another self–that can goad him into doing evil things that have no apparent motive. The narrator himself admits that a perverse, primitive impulse–a desire to do evil even though he had no explanation for doing it other than overindulging in wine–triggered his violent behavior. (2) Heavy drinking can bring out the worst in a human being. Alcohol abuse alone did not cause the narrator to strike out. But, as he readily acknowledges, it certainly put him in a foul mood. (3) A weak, unbalanced human psyche may be highly vulnerable to the power of suggestion. The narrator's wife had suggested, apparently in jest, that Pluto was a witch in disguise. (4) Evil deeds invite vengeance. Pluto gets even, the narrator indicates, by causing the fire that burns down the narrator's house. And, if the second cat is indeed Pluto reincarnated, Pluto sweetens his revenge by alerting police with his crying behind the wall hiding the corpse of the narrator's wife. (5) Fear of discovery can bring about discovery. At the end of the story, the narrator's strange behavior makes the police suspicious of him.