Falco is faced with his own mortality. He can't take cases that might kill him or injure him because he has a family to provide for. The adventure shows him thinking about how his past decisions caused suffering to those who loved him. He earns a living from a corrupt system--Rome. He reevaluates what things he is won't due anymore and be worthy of the people he loves. Effective introspection that ends with Falco maintaining his friendship with Petronius.