In The Eyes of the Dragon King portrays the tense relationship between brothers. Peter and Thomas, sibling rivals, become disillusioned through maturation, and they compete for their father's attention and love. Thomas, the younger, less-talented son, also learns through his spying that being an adult does not ensure perfect behavior; instead, he discovers that adults don public and private masks. In his treatment of Flagg and Judge General Peyna, King builds upon the theme of spying and introduces the related theme of blindness in those who exercise power.

The ignorance of those who exercise power is also one of King's concerns.

Both boys are groomed for the kingship by different adults to serve different ends. Peter is warned by his mother that a king can easily harm anyone by his behavior, but she fails to warn him of the danger of being overthrown.

Thomas learns of...