But now, at the end, there is nothing stopping Newland from meeting Ellen. But Newland has become so inculcated by his old society values that he can t even act when there are no prohibitions. Now, the theme of the book becomes tricky. Prior to this chapter, one could make an easy case that Society prevented people from realizing their dreams. But now we see, that it is Newland s own cowardice that prevents him from being happy.
Society becomes just an excuse for why people don t seek out their dreams.
Beaufort is an example of a man from his own generation who found happiness despite the regulations, his own financial destruction and the disdain of society. Wharton s point seems to be that people should not blame their society for their inability to act the rules and norms of society change rapidly, so it is only one s personal standards that can be constant and abided by.