Anderson's fiction offers numerous instances of robust, oversexed males leading the way to freedom and enlightenment. Hugh's characterization as it evolves in "Hunter's Moon" reveals a notably different conception of fitting relationships between men and women. Nicholas Van Rijn in Trader to the Stars (1964) and Dan Brodersen in The Avatar (1978) are much more typical Anderson protagonists; their sexual relationships are expressions of their great energy and their spiritual expansiveness, and the women in their lives are understanding of their need to physically express themselves.

Hugh— like Van Rijn, Brodersen, and others—has sex outside of marriage, regarding extramarital liaisons as spice for his active life. However his pursuit of other women has a destructive effect on Jannika—who herself has not been entirely faithful. She feels hurt by his reaction to the new arrival Chrisoula. That Hugh's neglect of his wife is destructive...