The main theme of They Were Sisters (1943) is that three sisters' choice of husband dictates whether they have homes, and whether, in their homes, they will be allowed to flourish, be tamed or repressed. We see three different choices and three different husbands: the best-friend, soul-mate husband of the one sister, who brings her great joy; the would-be companionable husband of another, who over-indulges and finally bores her; and the bullying husband who turns a high-spirited, naive young girl into a deeply unhappy woman.