The one overriding social issue of the novel is the end of society itself.

Most interesting, though, throughout the novel is the way that social structures, functions, and mores are carried on as if total eclipse were not just around the corner. The keeper of a small inn is delighted at the resurgence in business when the fishing season — the last one — begins early; a tram driver declares that he has been driving trams for years, and isn't going to stop now. Peter Holmes writes a check for a lawn mower with money no one will ever use. The reasons for the war that causes this obliteration are almost secondary; in the end, what is most important is carrying on, and, when the end nears, tidying up (as John Osborne does with his car, and Moira's father does with his livestock), and going in...