What is the theme in All the Little Live Things by Wallace Stegner?

Parental responsibility is another theme in the story. Joe Allston had a child who died after a lifetime of indecision and wandering. Joe often fought with Curtis, unable to force his own experiences on the child and make him act in a responsible fashion. Their relationship was fraught with tension because of the differences in their approaches to life. Therefore, when Curtis dies, Joe finds himself feeling relief that he will no longer have to bail him out of trouble, but filled with guilt as he wonders what he might have done differently to prevent his son's turbulent life and premature death.