What are the motifs in The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail by Jerome Lawrence?

Intellectualism is a recurring idea. In contrast to Henry's activism, Waldo's intellectualism—thinking thoroughly about the situation but rarely acting—is shown to be ineffective. Through his lectures and writings at Harvard and elsewhere, Waldo has inspired people like Henry to "'Cast Conformity behind you."' As a result, Waldo has become a very popular and influential public figure. Because Waldo never rocks the boat by actually achieving the ideal that he sets forth in his lectures, this is a very safe popularity. Henry, however, does attempt to follow the style of independent, transcendental life outlined in Waldo's writings. In fact, Waldo calls Henry, "my walking ethic!" Waldo is the type of person who cannot live up to his ideals if they compromise his personal security.