A hallmark of Poul Anderson's novels is their consistent focus on social concerns. Whether the novel be about time travel or conflict between galactic empires, Anderson always seems to be, at least in part, talking to his readers about their actual lives and the choices they may have in how they live those lives. In this sense, Harvest of Stars is a philosophical work that identifies two major trends in the development of human societies and then contrasts one against the other. One trend is introduced as repressive—the desire to control people's lives in every way and the willingness of many people to have their lives governed by others.

The other trend is toward civil liberties and freedom of action and of choice.

Anderson complicates his comparisons by having each trend make the same demand of people—they need to have faith in...