Moll Flanders: Themes Three recurring themes in Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe are greed, vanity, and repentance. Theme is defined as an underlying or essential subject of artistic representation. These three themes play an important role in the development of the story of Moll Flanders. The first theme, greed, is shown in Moll's acts of prostitution. Moll turns to thievery in many instances to support herself. She also allows her morals to disintegrate; a result of her greediness. Moll's first act of prostitution is thrust upon her unknowingly. In the beginning of the story, she is living with a gentle woman and her family. One of the br