What is the theme in Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky?

Another theme in the story is the need for free will. The author argues at length about the possibility that human life will someday be taken to a level of mathematical equation. In that case, free will will no longer exist because every action of every person could be determined—and predetermined—by graphs or equations. The problem, according to the author, is that people want the ability to make their own decisions and to do things simply because they want to—not because it's required. As an example, he points out that some people might say that a sane man would never wish for anything that wasn't in his best interests—an "advantage", as the author calls it.